


Masked

by DorkyBlueFish



Series: Masked [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Slow Burn, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-15
Updated: 2018-03-28
Packaged: 2019-03-05 08:31:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 53,681
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13384059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DorkyBlueFish/pseuds/DorkyBlueFish
Summary: Blake thought she was out of the super hero game. After everything that had happened, she couldn't be a hero anymore, let alone get close to anyone ever again. But when an oversight occurs on her part, she must become Nightshade one last time and team up with the new fiery hero, Yellow Dragon, to rescue the kidnapped Ruby Rose. Super Hero AU.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone, Blue here! Got a fanfic that I've worked really hard on here, I hope you all enjoy it! Please let me know what you think with a comment. Enjoy the Bees!
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

**Prologue**

"That'll be $12.76," The brunette softly told the customer who already had a twenty dollar bill extended forward. Monotonously, she typed on her register, pulled out the amount due, and gave a customary "Have a nice day" with no feeling what-so-ever. From behind her, she heard the same phrase, but said with much more gusto.

"Have a wonderful day ma'am! I hope you enjoy those limes, we just got them in today," The blonde beamed at the old woman who slowly made her way to the exit, her small bag of produce in tote. The other cashier then turned to the brunette one. "Guess that's the last of 'em, huh Blake."

"Yeah," She replied, grabbing a rag and wiping down her counter. It was officially ten and Blake wanted nothing more than to just leave. Alas, she still had to clean up with Yang. Which was always quite... difficult for her.

"Alright!" Yang clapped her hands together with her signature grin spread across her face. "Let's do this!" She nudged her co-worker playfully as she passed her to grab a broom and proceeded to sweep around the registers. Blake kept her head down and made her way to the other counters to clean. As she did, she took small peaks at the sweeping girl. Her blonde mane was pulled up into a messy ponytail by a purple hair tie. She was wearing the same white polo, khakis and green apron as Blake, but she made it actually look... good.

"Like what you see?" Yang asked, some how knowing that Blake was watching her. She looked over her shoulder with a knowing look. The brunette turned her focus back to the counter, a light blush dusting her otherwise stoic face. Yang chuckled lightly and continued to sweep. "Sooooo... Ruby, Weiss and I were gonna go out and see a movie Thursday. You want to join us again?" She requested hopefully.

"I-I... wouldn't want to impose." The raven-haired girl politely replied, but the blonde waved her off.

"Pssh, pleeease. I invited you, didn't I? And besides," She leaned in closer and put a hand up to her mouth as if she was telling a huge secret. "You'd be saving me from being the third wheel again." She added in a little wink that made Blake blush even more. She seemed to know it too, as her grin widened even further. "So, whadya say?"

"No, thank you," Blake forced herself to say, even though her heart told her to scream  _YES!_ Yang had looked like a sad puppy for a good five seconds, before forcing a smile back onto her face.

"That's ok," She uttered with fake enthusiasm "Maybe next time..." And with that, the two girls went back to their respective cleaning. They made idle chit-chat (Well, Yang did. Blake listened and made small, cautious comments.) as they finished checking all the isles. By the time they finished it was 10:45 and the manager was still in the office finishing up some paper work. So Blake was forced to wait outside of the office with Yang until he was done.

"Did you hear about the robbery Yellow Dragon stopped today?" Yang piped suddenly.  _Oh jeez, that new super hero?_  Blake thought to herself, but didn't dare say out loud. The blonde always seemed to be so excited about her, she couldn't crush her twice in one day.

"No, what happened?" Blake asked, though she had absolutely no interest in the fiery, cocky hero.

"Well, she was awesome as usual, I heard!" Yang exclaimed, looking a bit proud for some odd reason. "She went all flamey and roasted their butts. I heard it was actually pretty funny." She chuckled at the mental image and Blake giggled at the way she had so simply explained Yellow Dragon's victory.

"Most impressive," Blake tried to compliment YD "But she is a bit reckless, wouldn't you say?"

"What do you mean?" Yang asked, her previous hype a bit dampened. Blake winced slightly, she hadn't wanted to hurt the blonde's feelings, but it looks as if she had anyways. So she continued.

"Let me guess, she arrived at the scene of the crime and busted through the front door?"

"... Yes?"

"Then she said some overconfident and pithy one-liners?"

"...yeah?"

"And she charged in 'Guns-a-blazing', right?" Blake used air quotes for 'Guns-a-blazing'

"... So? What's the problem?" She defended.

"Well, super heroes nowadays think it's all about show and bravado, but they are wrong. It takes tact and skill, otherwise you will get killed or worse." Blake explained. The blonde stared at her for a moment, as if she was truly taking in what Blake had said.

"So... I take it you were a Nightshade fan?" Yang inquired. Blake froze up and her eyes widened upon hearing that name.

"No! No no," She backpedaled.

"No, I get it. She was awesome. Mysterious and cool," Yang smirked at Blake, but her smile seemed to diminish "It kinda sucked when she just disappeared though. I wonder what happened to her." She trailed off a bit solemnly (which was rare for the blonde).

Blake hummed in response as she pulled her knees closer to her chest, avoiding eye contact with her co-worker. It had been a while since she was reminded of her past mistakes, but that didn't take the sting away. There was a moment of silence as both girls stared intently at the tiled floor of the Vale-mart grocery store. That was until the manager burst through his office. He turned to his two cashiers.

"Hey, get outta here ya crazy kids," He directed, pointing his cane to the exit.

"Hey, I'll have you know that I have been twenty-two for three months now!" Yang shouted back in mock insult.

"Well you're still kids to me. Now scram while I yell at the kids in the back." He chuckled lightly.

"Catch you later!" Yang shouted back and she and Blake left the store. "See ya 'round Blakey," Yang said a bit softer to her co-worker as she left in the other direction. Knowing that Yang could no longer see her, Blake finally allowed some emotion to bleed through upon hearing the blonde's nickname for her. Her blush came back and she had this dreamy, lovesick look slapped on her face. She soon shook her head in order to get rid of it. She simply could not think that way.

The problem with being around Yang wasn't that the girl annoyed her (though Yang might think that she was). In fact, it was quite the opposite. Blake liked Yang... a lot. She wanted to say yes to all of her requests to 'hang out'. When she had first met the girl, she had given to these requests on multiple occasions. Going to get some coffee, to the movies, or simply spending time at her place. Most of the time Ruby, Yang's sister, and Weiss, Ruby's girlfriend, would tag along. But there were occasions were it would be just Yang and Her. Then Blake realized that Yang started having feelings for her. And then Blake realized that SHE had started having feelings for Yang. And that was when she had to stop all the 'hang outs', stop the casual flirtation, stop her feelings.

Because there is no way she would ever get close to anyone. Ever. Again.

**XxXxX**

Blake alone walked down the lowly lit road. To most, walking down this dark path would elicit feelings of dread, paranoia, and fear.

Blake, however, greeted the dark and solitude as an old friend.

On a normal day, the raven-haired girl would have kept on her path. She would have kept walking until she hit the traffic light and then turned right to get to her apartment building. She would have unlocked her door, took off her shoes and gotten ready for bed. She would have read for an hour, turned off the lights and slept.

This is not what she did.

The mention of Nightshade had gotten her very anxious and she knew that she would not be able to get lost into her book on this night. So she turned down a nearby alley and checked for any witnesses. When she was certain that no one was around to see her, she reached into her sleeve exposed her chain charm bracelet. Blake clicked a button on the cat charm that hung off of it and her street clothes were instantly replaced with a sleek black outfit. Her loose khakis were now tight leather pants and knee high boots pulled over top. Her long gray coat was replaced with an incredibly deep purple, almost black, crop top with a barely visible plant-like symbol and black ribbons wrapping all along her arms. Her hair seemed to be a bit more loose and wild and two cat ears rested atop her head where her bow used to be. And the final, and most essential change, a sleek form-fitting mask protected her identity.

Taking a breath, Blake wasted no time in transforming into a crow and taking flight. She flew high above the city of vale, taking in the sights she hadn't seen in a while. Being up in the air, she knew that this was exactly what she needed right now. Her favorite form to take had always been the cat, but there was something about flying as the crow that always allowed Blake to forget about her problems.

She finally landed atop her favorite building. It was the near the center of town and was a great spot for surveying the whole town and looking for crime.

Not that she was looking for crime, that life was behind her and she had no intention of running back. Not for anything.

No, there was a sense of calm that came to her when she was overlooking the city. With her enhanced vision, she could see far and wide. Knowing exactly what was going on in the city not only kept her mind occupied, but helped ease her anxiety. Nothing would sneak up on her, not again.

As she cast her gaze across the city, she took note of a girl clad in red. Ruby Rose, Yang's younger sister, was putting posters up around town. The posters had the same symbol as Blake's outfit and read 'Believe in the Night? So do we. The Hero Fan Organization will be holding a meeting all about Nightshade and her mysterious disappearance. Come and share your experiences or theories about our mysterious heroine'. It then listed a location and a time (which was a couple weeks away). The raven-haired girl sighed as she watched the hopeful red-head skip along with her stack of fliers and tape. She had known that the girl was a super hero fan and was partial to Yellow Dragon, but had no idea about her affinity for Nightshade.

"Sorry Ruby," Blake apologized as if she could hear her "I'm not coming back. Nightshade is gone." And with that, the brief peace she had gotten from her favorite peak had fluttered away. She changed form once more, and flew off into the night.

She was not aware that someone else had been on the roof with her the whole time. The goggled blonde stepped out after Blake had left, watching her fly away with a shocked look on her face. Only when the bird had flown out of sight was Yellow Dragon able to close her jaw. A small grin worked it's way onto her face.

"Well I'll be damned."

**XxXxX**

"Come to the Hero Fan Organization! We're talking about Nightshade!" Ruby exclaimed cheerfully, as though it was the first flier she had handed out that night. It was not. The woman she had tried to hand it to simply put her hand up to deny it, and then walked away. It wasn't the first time this happened either. Ruby Rose does not give up though, not when she was determined! Besides... she had already promised Jaune that she would spread all these fliers.

She didn't understand. Nightshade used to be beloved by all! Out of all of the heroes in Vale Super Hero Association, Nightshade was the most popular last year. She was by no means flashy, she stuck to the shadows, doing her work by night. She had a partner too but... he went down a darker path than her. He disappeared around the same time actually. Some think that they killed each other in an all out battle. Others think that Nightshade joined him and they are plotting an attack against the city. Ruby didn't care for either theory very much, but hated the second one even more.

What Ruby really liked about Nightshade was that she did whatever it took to save the day. Most of the heroes followed the rules too closely and took things far too cautiously. Heroes, in Ruby's opinion, should lay everything on the line. It was a dangerous line of work, but one that she wished she could be involved in so bad. Alas she had to stick to simply handing out fliers about them. That was her job in the organization, and one she took pride in. She had a blast making the posters for the last meeting about Yellow Dragon. So many people showed up for that one. She was the new hero (and the best, in Ruby's opinion) and she everyone went CRAZY for her.

She did make a good first impression. Some crazed gun men showed up the local mall, wearing horse and gorilla masks. They had rounded everyone up in the food court when they saw a blast of fire form the second floor. And then another one. And another. Most thought that this was just for flare (pun intended), but she was really drawing them all in one place. Once that was done, she leapt from her hiding place, raising one fist and smashing down where they stood with a blast of fire that emanated off of her. Only a few were left conscious, but Yellow Dragon deftly knocked them to the ground, throwing in some one-liners about horses and monkeys. And with her back to the crowd of onlookers (Who could see the detailed golden dragon on the back of her long jacket), she glanced towards them with a cocky smirk. And then strolled out the front doors, winking at a few citizens.

Aww man, Ruby was soooo jealous to hear that Yang had been there to see it. Yang had insisted that she was glad she wasn't because the whole ordeal was terrifying. Ruby knew her sister though, and she could see a glint of excitement when she recounted the story.

Wait, how late was it? Oh shoot! It couldn't be 12:30 already? Yang was going to kill her! She started to run, fliers in tote, back home. But when she turned a corner, she found herself slamming into a solid object, falling down, and dropping her posters everywhere. She looked up to see that it was a man she had slammed into.

"Oh my goodness, sir. I am so sorry about that!" Ruby apologized, quickly gathering her papers. She tried to move past the large man. He had no intention of letting her leave, as he grabbed her shoulder very tightly.

"Excuse me, sir, but I need to get home," Ruby tried to pull out of the man's grasp, but he would not budge.

"Sorry, little Rose. But you're not going anywhere," He seethed through a sinister grin.


	2. A Proposition For Heroism

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blue again! I got another chapter for you guys. The plot thickens (*cue the evil laughter*). I hope you guys enjoy it, let me know what you think with a comment. Enjoy the Bees!

Amber eyes flitted open as morning rays peaked through the window. Blake groaned when she read the clock and knew that she would not be able to fall back asleep again. It was 6:45 and she had only just fallen asleep around four. It reminded her of her hero days; those long days of being a civilian, and then late nights as Nightshade, only to wake up early again by habit. It was one of the many things that she did not miss about having an alter ego.

After laying there for another ten minutes, she begrudgingly lifted herself out of bed and got ready for the day. She didn't have work today, but she wanted to go into to talk to her manager about possibly switching around shifts. He always put her on with Yang and while she wanted to enjoy the time with the blonde, she couldn't allow herself to get close.

After changing into her street clothes, Blake left the bedroom to perform her daily morning rituals. She brushed her teeth, ate a bowl of cereal, and read the book she was currently invested in until eight when the Vale-mart opened. Closing her book, she carefully placed it in a back-pack and unceremoniously flung it on one shoulder. Her boots clunked as she dragged herself out the door.

"Good morning, Miss. Belladonna!" She heard a bright cheerful voice ring out. She turned to see her neighbor, Mr- oh sorry, Dr. Oobleck who was fiddling with his set of keys which must have had about fifteen keys on them. It made sense, Dr. Oobleck was a well known scientist in Vale (She had actually worked with him on a few cases as Nightshade, not that he would have known it was her). All the keys were for various labs. The ironic part was that if you asked him to find a specific key for a lab that he occasionally did work for that was across town, he could pull it out in the blink of an eye. He however, could never find his apartment keys to save his life and today appeared to be no exception.

"Good morning, Dr. Oobleck," Blake returned with a small smile. "You know, maybe you should color code those keys." She teased him.

"Ah, nonsense! A scientist must have a keen eye, this is merely practice for me," Oobleck said, finally finding the right key and giving a small 'aha!' upon finding it. "Going to work are we?"

"Yes, but only to see about a schedule change. I might stop by the library too, would you like me to pick any books up for you?" The raven-haired girl offered.

"No no, that is quite alright. But do be careful, Miss. Belladonna," Oobleck advised, his tone growing more serious. "I'm sure you're aware of what happened last night." Blake's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"No, what happened?"

"Oh dear. A young girl was taken around 12:30 last night. There were even witnesses, but no one could stop the man." The green-haired man shook his head somberly "Dreadful, simply dreadful."

"Oh... That's awful. I'll be sure to be careful. I'll see you later then," Blake said hurriedly rushing down the stairs.

If she had only stuck around thirty minutes more last night, she might have- No... no that life was behind her. She was sure that the police or other heroes could find this missing girl, it wasn't her problem anymore.

That did not stop her from thinking about it the whole walk to work.

When Blake finally did arrive, she was not welcomed with a 'Hiya, Blakey!' from her blonde co-worker. In fact, Yang was no where to be seen. Instead there was another worried looking blonde. Jaune Arc, president of the Hero Fan Organization, was the cashier and he... well he did not look good today. He tried to look pleasant for the customers, but it was obvious something was on his mind. As soon as there was a lull, Blake approached the tense boy.

"Hey Jaune," Blake greeted.

"H-hey Blake," Jaune stuttered out, mind clearly elsewhere.

"I... Didn't expect to see you here today. Where is Yang?"

"She asked me to cover for her," He told her. "Which is understandable. You know, with everything going on."

"Why?"

"You haven't heard?" Her turned, his whole attention grabbed now.

"Heard what?" Blake's heart pounded in her chest as she dreaded what he was going to say.

"Ruby was kidnapped," Jaune informed her "And it's all my fault..." His gaze turned downward.

"Wait, the girl that was taken was Ruby?" Blake exclaimed, face contorted in concern. "Why was it your fault?" Jaune's eyes widened, not used to seeing his co-worker show so much emotion. In fact, the only time she had seen her so much as crack a smile is when she was around Yang.

"I... had her hand out fliers for the HFO... It was my fault that she was out so late!" Jaune cried out under the brunette's stare.

"It's not your fault, Jaune... Just... I need to go," Blake sputtered out, she turned on her heels and left the Vale-mart. If it was anyone's fault, the blame was clearly on her.

**XxXxX**

Another night perched atop her favorite spot, Blake overlooked the city. This time was not for pleasure though. She pushed her enhanced eyesight as far as she could trying to find Ruby or any sort of clue. Unfortunately, all this earned her was a headache.

She had spent the whole day as a civilian, looking for clues. She started by finding the spot she had last seen her putting up posters. After she located that, it wasn't hard to follow the trail of posters until she hit police tape. They had estimated that that was were she had been taken last night. Staying out of sight, she let her cat ears pop up, still concealed underneath her bow. She listened in on the witnesses and the police to try and glean some information off of them. Unfortunately, there wasn't much to go on, and Blake found hardly any useful information other than "The man was big and scary" (which everyone says about kidnappers... amateurs).

She considered going to check up on Yang, but couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't think she could look the girl in the eye after failing to protect her baby sister (not that she would know that that had happened). But that also might be why Blake was going to such lengths after discovering it was Yang's sister. As much as she tried to detach herself from Yang, Ruby, and Weiss, she still cared for them. They had become her weakness and she wanted it to stop.

She considered just going home and forgetting all about this. Maybe packing up and leaving town. That seemed a better option than feeling the hurt of losing people again. But against her better judgment, she decided that she couldn't just give up. Otherwise this guilt would just add onto what she already harbored, and she didn't think her heart could handle anymore.

So she found herself clad in her Nightshade outfit once again, looking for crime on this night.

"So! This is the famous Nightshade!" A voice announced behind her and Blake leapt up and spun around in response. She was getting ready to attack the intruder, but then noticed who it was. A tall blonde with a wild mane that swayed slightly in the breeze. She had her signature red tinted goggles that made her eyes look crimson. The band that held them on looked like golden flames. She had a light brown long jacket that was split in two around tailbone and had the sleeves rolled up. Underneath it was a very,  _very_  tight bright yellow tank top that had a black symbol of a burning heart on it. Her collarbone was covered up by a light, orange scarf wrapped around her neck. Her neon yellow finger-less gloves rested on her belt (that looked like it was there merely for aesthetic) and black shorts that barely reached the middle of her thighs. Her boots came up to the middle of her calves, with her amethyst and sunflower colored striped socks extending barely past her knees.

She was as flashy as they said.

"What do you want?" Blake's eyes narrowed on Yellow Dragon.

"Woah, easy there kitty. I don't want a fight," She smirked putting her hands in front of her as defense.

"Then what DO you want? I'm kind of busy right now."

"Wow, is that anyway to treat a fellow hero? We're all on the same side, aren't we?" Dragon tried to rationalize, but Nightshade only glared at her "Okaaay... So, listen. I'm willing to forget the whole 'you left the city when we needed you most' thing if you can help me out, okay?"

"Listen! I am out! I've been out for a while! The only reason I am out here right now it for-"

"For Ruby?" Yellow Dragon inquired. Blake's mouth was slightly parted, not sure how to respond, so Dragon explained "Look, I may have accidentally been on the roof with you last night. And I may have accidentally heard you mention her name. Ruby Rose, the girl who was taken? You know her, don't you?" Blake then dashed up to YD in a rage, pulling her in by her scarf.

"You were SPYING on me?" She spat out in disbelief.

"No,no no! I just happened to be on the roof when you were there by ACCIDENT. And... kind of watched you for a while... But not in a creepy way! I mean.. come ON, you're Nightshade!"

Blake loosened her grip on Yellow Dragon marginally, but kept her eyes firmly on the girl in her grip. She held people in this grip many times in the past and most of them looked upon her in fear. They were always criminals though, and this was a hero, but Yellow Dragon didn't seem intimidated in the least. She simply stared right back, red eyes glinted with amusement and determination. Fearless, like a true hero... or a foolish one.

"I'll ask you one last time. What do you want?" Nightshade seethed, done with the new hero's antics.

"The same as you. I want to find Ruby Rose." Dragon responded, voice growing more serious. Blake dropped her hands to her sides and inspected the girl closely. It didn't take a detective to see that Dragon genuinely wanted to find the girl, the question was why. This wasn't something she could glean off of just observation, so she hoped that the hero's blunt nature would provide her with all she needed to know.

"Why do you want to find her?" Blake questioned.

"Um... I'm a hero?" The blonde girl responded gesturing to herself as if that answer was enough reason. "You think I was just gonna sit around and let the cops handle it? And besides... I was right there last night and didn't notice it happening. What kind of hero would I be if I didn't bring the girl back after an oversight like that?" YD looked down in guilt at the last part of her explanation and Blake sympathized with her, since she was in the same situation. Not that she would let the girl see that.

"Ok, so why come to me? I'm sure there are plenty of heroes in the SHA would join you in your search."

"Oh let me guess," Dragon held up her hands with a grin as a signal to 'wait'. She then attempted to push some of her blonde hair in front of one of her eyes, popped her collar, and stuffed her hands into imaginary pockets. "'I work'" A hair flip "'Alone'" She said in a gruff voice and looking off into the distance. This only lasted for a couple seconds before she was back to her grinning self.

Part of Blake hated that, part of her loved it, but mostly she hated that she loved it. She hid her amusement by putting on a sterner face, but Dragon could clearly see through her facade.  _Uggh this girl!_  Blake thought. Not wanting to give her anymore satisfaction, she turned around.

"I'm leaving." Nightshade stated

"Nonono wait! I'm sorry!" The girl called out in protest. Blake stopped and turned to face the hero once more. "You're right, there are probably other heroes who could help me, but I came to you!"

"Why?"

"Cause they all follow the books and report to the police." the blonde expanded "We both know that the cops are not meant for this sort of situation. But all the heroes seem to think that everything we do should be reported and cataloged. It takes time that we don't have. As heroes, we get things done and know that you feel the same way."

Blake blinked at her response. She was right, of course, and the brunette had come to the same conclusion at the scene of the crime earlier today.

"Please. Just help me find her, and you'll never hear from me ever again. I'll leave you alone to... well... do whatever it is that you do with your life now." Yellow Dragon pleaded with Nightshade.

"And if I don't?"

"Well then I'll have no choice but to follow you around, making terrible jokes and pointing you out to everyone on the street." She grinned not-so-innocently and Blake's eyes narrowed upon the girl.

"Ugh, fine!" She gave in.

"Yes! Thank you!" Dragon grabbed her hands in appreciation "Okay, meet you here at eleven? We'll compile clues and stuff, It'll be great!" She said all of this walking backwards and waving goodbye. And just like that, Yellow Dragon had left.

What had Blake juts gotten herself into?

**XxXxX**

Yellow Dragon had spent the whole day looking for clues in her civilian form. Luckily, she was able to take off of work with no questions or issues. They understood what she was going through and assumed that she would be a nervous wreck at home, waiting for the phone to ring with any news.

Like hell she would!

Yes, she was going through a lot, but she was never the type to just sit down and do nothing, and with her powers, she didn't have to. She was INCREDIBLY lucky to spot Nightshade last night, and hoped (prayed) that she would be there again. Her hunch was right and now she had a powerful ally to help her bring Ruby back.

After the meeting with Nightshade, YD was emotionally drained. She wanted to keep a stoic facade, wanted to make it seem like this was simply another job for a hero. It was not, this was very personal. So, as soon as her meeting was over, she slipped into an alley ten minutes from the building she was just on top of, and clicked the small dragon charm on the end of her necklace. And just like that, she went from the heroic and confident Yellow Dragon to the worried and tearful Yang Xiao Long.

"We're gonna find you Rubes," She spoke aloud, gripping her necklace in a tight fist. "We're gonna bring you home."


	3. Worries and Walks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, you know what we all need? More bees and heroic escapades! Actually, more Yang time in this chapter than anything. But is that really a bad thing? Please let me know what you think. Enjoy the Bees!

It was two by the time Yang returned back to the manor, so she decided to slip in the back entrance. She had tried, in vain, to find more clues after her chat with Nightshade. Under any other circumstance, she would have used the front door, not bothering to conceal her late entrance. These were not ordinary circumstances though and Yang didn't want anyone to worry more then they already ha-

"Yang. Xiao. Long." A high pitched voice called out from the dark as soon as the blonde stepped foot in the door. She enunciated each name as if they were each pieces of evidence that proved Yang guilty. A light flicked on, temporarily blinding the lilac-eyed girl. When she was able to see again, a certain short, ivory-haired, heiress stood there, arms crossed in displeasure. Yang instantly gave up on her attempts at stealth and simply sighed.

"Heeeey, Weiss," the blonde sheepishly replied, a hand scratching the back of her neck.

"Don't ' Heeeey, Weiss' me! Do you have any idea how late it is?" She lashed back at the blonde, her voice growing more shrill. Her hands had moved from their crossed position to her hips in fury.

"I'm sorry, Weiss. I-"

"You, You what?" Weiss fumed at the blonde venomously, and the blonde, in turn, winced. "You were too busy partying? Or drinking? Or-"

"Of course not!" Yang had finally had enough, she snapped at the heiress. "What do you take me for?" And for a moment, the two just stared at each other engaged in a wordless staring contest. Weiss was the first to break, hiccuping from tears. Yang immediately regretted letting her anger get the best of her.

"Weiss... I.." the blonde started

"No, you can't do this to me, Yang," Weiss ordered, but it came out more as a whimper compared to the way she was shouting at the girl before. "Not now... not with Ruby being..."

"I know... I'm sorry."

The heiress broke down before Yang's very eyes, and the sight was rather distressing. Not as distressing as finding out that your own sister had been taken and you, a super hero, had been unable to stop it from happening. No, it was not that bad. Still, the heiress was not one to wear her heart on her sleeve. That was what Ruby did. And while it was true that this had rubbed off slightly on the normally cold girl, this was a new level. She dropped to her knees and started to sob. Yang did what her years of being Ruby's big sister had taught her. She knelt down with her and put a reassuring arm around her shoulder.

They had all grown close, hadn't they.

It had always been just her and Ruby for the longest time. Hopping from foster home to foster home. They were lucky enough to be transferred together. There was a brief time that they were on the run from the foster system, but by the time they had gotten the girls back, Yang was eighteen and legally took custody of her sister, though she was a mere two years younger than Yang. It was also around that time that Ruby had met Weiss and they had... well, things actually did not go so well. Yang recalls Weiss saying that Ruby was an 'Accident prone, hero junkie with a terrible taste in movies'. She wasn't wrong, but the words were not meant to be endearing, rather they were spat out at the red-head. Ruby, being the optimist she was, took it as the former. And thus, She asked if she could spend more time with the ivory-haired girl.

Weiss immediately answered with a resounding 'No!', but this wouldn't deter Ruby. When she was determined, nothing could stop her (which is why her desire to be a hero was very troubling to Yang). Ruby insisted that she would grow on her and that she would grow to like those aspects about her.

But Ruby was wrong about one thing.

Weiss grew to  _love_  those aspects about Ruby.

Against her 'better judgment', as she had said, she had fallen for the girl clad in red. So much so that it was her who asked Ruby out. It was when they started dating that Weiss learned that their... 'living situation' (if you could call it that) was not very good. Yang had tried to provide for Ruby by herself, but finding a place to live in Vale City was a challenge. So the pair didn't really have a permanent residence, finding shelter when they could.

Weiss wouldn't have it.

So for three years they had been living under the Schnee manor in Vale City. Originally, Weiss was from Atlas, but her family owned a residence in the capitals of the most powerful kingdoms. Weiss had apparently grown weary of the people of Atlas and wanted a change. For a while, it was only Weiss in the manor, but Yang and Ruby gave the manor the life that it so desired.

And Weiss, well... Weiss had begun to feel like family to Yang.

Now it was evident that the feeling was mutual.

"Y-yang, after what just happened... I was afraid... I thought... that you... and..." the normally composed heiress spoke between sobs.

"I'm sorry, Weiss," Yang soothed as she rubbed circles in her back. "I didn't mean to worry you,"

"Then what in OUM'S name were you doing?" The bite in her voice rose back up marginally. Yang looked away, unable to reach Weiss' gaze.

What was she supposed to tell her? 'I'm actually Yellow Dragon and I teamed up with Nightshade to beat the CRAP out of whoever took my baby sister'? No, as much as she trusted Weiss, telling her about her secret life would only cause her more strife. At the same time, she couldn't just lie to her, especially if she had a feeling that she would probably be out late looking for clues with nightshade until Ruby was found. No, Weiss needed to know that she would most likely be out this late or even later.

"I was... trying to figure out what happened to Ruby." Yang spit out after a long pause.

"You... You what?" Weiss asked incredulously.

"Look, I have some connections here in Vale," Yang fibbed slightly "I might have found people who can help us... But I can't tell you anymore than that. All I can tell you is that I will have late nights like this, and you need to trust that I am ok... Alright?"

"Yang, you can't be-"

"You would do the same for her if you had the opportunity!" Yang cut her off before she could even finish her protest. "Don't even try to tell me you wouldn't, Weiss Schnee."

The Heiress opened and closed her mouth a couple times, as if she was trying to formulate her concerns, but they all died on her lips. She finally gave up and let her lips form a straight line, staring at the blonde before her, as if she was trying to figure out some ancient puzzle. After a minute or two of Weiss just staring at Yang, she finally let out a big sigh.

"Just... be careful," Weiss conceded "And message me to let me know that you are ok."

"Awwww, you really do care about me!" Yang teased, prodding the ivory-haired girl's side, to which she squirmed away from the blonde's contact.

"Of course I do, you big oaf!"

"And... Though I don't like to see ya cry... It's reassuring to see how much you care about my little sis,"

"Was that ever in question?!" Weiss snapped defensively, angered by the blonde's insinuation that she hadn't known that she cared for Ruby.

"No! No, it's just," Yang gave warm smile "It's nice to see you step away from your role as the 'Ice Queen'. You're a lot warmer than you claim to be, aren'tcha Weissy?" Yang made quotes in the air when she had said 'Ice Queen'. This was the name some called behind her back (or in some cases, straight to her face) due to her cold exterior. Only Yang and Ruby (especially Ruby) knew what lay underneath.

The ivory-haired girl puffed up her cheeks.

"I'm sure I DON'T know what you are talking about, Yang Xiao Long." Weiss huffed, seeming to not notice or not care about Yang calling her 'Weissy'. A small warm smile crept onto her face and betrayed her true emotions. "But thank you,"

"Of course, Weissy!" Yang beamed.

"Don't press your luck, Xiao Long," She warned.

So she HAD noticed.

**XxXxX**

Yang awoke the next day around seven in the morning, surprisingly well rested. Maybe it was due to the fact that her bed was SO comfortable. No, seriously, it felt like she was floating on a cloud. That had to be one of her favorite things about living in the Schnee manor, everything was built for the resident's comfort and pleasure. She can still recall laying down on this bed for the first time.

It was when Weiss was showing her and Ruby around the large estate. But at the end of the 'grand tour' (That's the only kind of tour you could give in an estate that massive), she had finally shown them their own rooms. A small chuckle escaped Yang's lips as she remember the bright red flush on the heiress' face when Yang flopped on the bed and let out an almost orgasmic like moan, rolling around in what felt like heaven to her. Weiss chided her, telling her that such noises were 'inappropriate and crude'. But she couldn't help herself! It was just THAT blissfully soft. In fact, she decided to sleep in the chair for the first two weeks, not wanting to get used to that kind of comfort in case they got kicked out. When she was certain this was not just a temporary gift, she gave in and let the temptress of satin draw her in for good.

Yes, this could certainly be the culprit for her restful state, but she felt that this was not the whole reason. The real reason was that she had a plan to get Ruby back... well, kind of?... She wasn't exactly sure where to start to look for clues, but she wasn't working alone, now was she?

Nightshade, the hero of the night. The shadow of justice. She had somehow convinced her to help. No one has even seen her since she disappeared after the train incident with Raging Bull. And to just... find her on a roof of a building? At night too. Unlike most heroes, Yang preferred to do most of her work during the day.

Often times, the police couldn't get to the scene of a crime until it was too late or tensions were too high. Yang took it upon herself to be better and remedy the problem before things got too out of hand. And now that she had a reputation, the "baddies" (As Ruby liked to childishly call them. Twenty years old and she still used phrases like that) didn't try and shoot her as much. Which was good, because though none of them directly hit her, some grazed her. And yes, though the use of her special aura did heal some of them, it didn't heal all of them. Which usually meant either wearing long sleeves, pants or making up some excuse about her being clumsy and accidentally hurting herself, lest her identity be discovered.

Not that she was TOO concerned, the perception blocker on her goggles worked wonders.

But that first night she had seen Nightshade had been one of the rare times that she had been out patrolling, rather than out for a specific happening. She was about to ask the figure what she was doing on the roof so late at night, but when she realized who she was, she stopped herself. She just... watched her.

To be honest, it was hard for Yang to believe that this was the same hero they had seen save the day so often in the past. She seemed very defeated, depressed.

Lonely.

Yang almost forgot who exactly she was watching. She didn't see the hero of the night. She didn't see the shadow of justice. She saw a broken young woman, a frightened girl who was merely dressing up as a hero.

Someone that Yang had the urge to save.

She shook those thoughts from her mind soon though. She couldn't just go up, sit down next to her and say 'what's wrong, kiddo?' like she would try and do when she would see a dejected citizen. She didn't claim to know Nightshade, but from what she had gleaned off of her, she assumed doing something like that was a surefire way to get her face clawed off.

Literally.

So she stuck to just observing with deep fascination. It was a short time later that the mysterious hero had seemed to notice something in the distance. She wondered what it was she had seen, but knew she probably would not be able to find it. She had heard that along with various other heightened senses, Nightshade had incredible eyesight due to her animal enhancements. The girl then sighed, seeming even more morose than before.

"Sorry, Ruby," She heard her say. "I'm not coming back. Nightshade is gone."

And just like that, she was gone, flying away.

After finally uttering her surprise at the situation, she looked over to the area that Nightshade had been watching before she left. Luckily, what she wanted to see did not require enhanced vision. A girl clad in red was handing out posters for the HFO meeting about Nightshade. Yang immediately recognized the girl.

Ruby.

Nightshade knew Ruby?

She was so baffled over this revelation that she didn't even consider Ruby's safety, something she was REALLY beating herself up about now. Sure she was an adult now, but come on, she was her younger sister. Maybe giving her a curfew was a bit too much, but Weiss had agreed with her on that one. In fact, it was the heiress herself that had suggested it. Something about Ruby being 'too clumsy to be out late at night' and Ruby retorting with 'but heroes don't fear the dark'. Yang might have brought up the use of her wolf-shaped night light, which earned her a whiny 'Yaaaang'. And ended in Weiss giving Ruby the silent treatment until she acquiesced. But it didn't stop them from losing her...

No, she couldn't think about that now. Thinking that way wouldn't get her anywhere. She had to focus on the positives, like this connection between Nightshade and Ruby.

Everyone who knew the red-head knew about her affinity for super heroes. She had held off on getting a proper job so she could take time to 'find her powers and fulfill her destiny,'. Sure, she took some part time jobs here and there, but nothing that really lasted. She dedicated more time to getting as close as she could to the heroes of Vale. It's why she joined the HFO. If only she knew that she lived under the same roof as one.

So if Ruby had met Nightshade, she would have been telling everyone she knew. The blonde knew that she would never hear the end of it. So Yang came to the conclusion that Ruby knew Nightshade in her civilian life, which was... weird to think about. It could be someone that Ruby sees every day, not that she would know.

The nice part about being a hero in this day and age is having that perception manipulator. Heroes used to have to be exceedingly careful with their duel identities. They either had to act completely different as a civilian or heroes and were found out very often. That is when a man (That no one really knew much about) named Ozpin discovered a way for heroes to keep their identities secret easier. He created technology that allowed the wearer to unconsciously feed aura into. In turn, it changed how people perceived them. So the only way for someone to discover who was behind the mask was for them to literally take off the mask in front of them. That or shattering the illusion by just telling them who they were and giving away key information about themselves.

It was a good thing that this did exist, since the blonde was sure she would have been found out a while ago. She didn't act much different between her two lives. Perhaps Yellow Dragon was a bit more vibrant and confident, but she lived her civilian life in a similar fashion.

She wondered how Nightshade was in her civilian life. Was she sad too?

Yang shook her head as she (regrettably) lifted herself out of her personal cloud. There was no use getting close to her temporary partner. They would hopefully not need to work for long and she seriously doubted Nightshade would open up to her in that amount of time.

The lilac-eyed girl got changed and started on her morning meditations. She always knew that she had a temper issue, but now her eyes changed from a cool lavender to a fierce scarlet. That was a literal red-flag that she was not ordinary. Maybe she could play it off to some, but if Rubes saw that, she would know something was amiss.

Well... she wouldn't have to worry about that for...  _No, no stopping thinking that way._ She begged herself.

So that is why she found it necessary to practice meditating, finding her inner peace... and the rest of that crap. When meditating didn't work, her heroic escapades helped her blow off some steam.

After a about thirty minutes, Yang started to get ready for work. The only reason she had taken yesterday off was because Weiss insisted and she wanted to look for clues on Ruby's kidnapping. But now that her plans to get her back were in place, she had to act like everything was ok and that nothing out of the ordinary was happening to Yang Xiao Long.

Well, besides having a missing sister...

Today was gonna be harder then she thought.

**XxXxX**

After spending the rest of the day trying to relax and calm herself, Yang arrived at work ten minutes before her shift, receiving some looks of compassion from some of the other workers. She hated that, she'd rather they treat her with the same disinterest that they always did. When she stepped into the break room, she found a raven-haired girl with a bow atop her head, nose stuck in a book. She looked up lazily from her book, but soon closed it when she realized who had just walked in.

"Yang," Blake said softly, eyes wide with surprise and concern.

"Heya, Blake," Yang tried to conjure up a bright smile, but found that it dampened a bit. She couldn't lie to her, as much as she tried.

"I... Didn't expect to see you here today," the brunette seemed at a loss for words.  _Well, at least she isn't saying that she is-_  Yang started to think "Yang... I am so sorry."

_Sorry._

Yang sighed, tired of hearing it. It was just a reminder, one that she didn't need. She knew Ruby was gone, she knew she was gonna get her back. That should be enough. She shouldn't feel so hurt by what was happening. But she did, it hurt inside. And not just because she wasn't able to save her, but because her sister had just been kidnapped. She was human after all. And being around people was all of a sudden so hard for her and she wanted to just lash out at everyone.

But Blake wasn't everyone. And she knew that the girl was genuinely concerned about her.

At least she hoped she was.

"Thanks," Yang smiled pathetically. "But, I'm fine, really,"

"Ok," the girl meekly replied, her eyebrows still knitted close with worry. "Just.. um... nevermind." She looked as though she wanted to say more, but stopped herself. Yang took notice of this, mostly because this had become a habit of Blake's.

"Just, what?" Yang prodded.

Yang had wanted to become closer to the girl and... well, who was she kidding? She liked her a lot. She fell for her the moment she met her, the long raven hair, the piercing amber eyes, the cute little bow atop her head. She idly liked to imagine they were two cat ears, the girl seeming so feline as it was (Yang noted that her usual bagged lunch consisted of a tuna fish sandwich and a bottle of one percent milk).

She was also unlike anyone else the blonde had been interested in previously. Yang had a tendency to hook up (as the girl had yet to ever commit to a relationship long enough to call it anything but that) with people who were much like her. Bright, cocky, and full of energy. Blake was not like that at all. She was quiet and humble and often kept to herself, usually reading a book. But as Yang discovered, Blake was much like the books that she read. The first couple chapters were hard to get through, but once you did you couldn't put it down. You were hooked.

And Yang sure was hooked on Blake.

Unfortunately, the amber-eyed girl seemed to be very resistant to Yang's attempts to become closer. When they first met, Blake and her had gotten together quite frequently actually. They had seen a couple movies, Blake had shown her her favorite book shop, and they had even gotten lunch with Ruby and Weiss when they had days off. Things seemed to be going well... or so she had thought.

One day (Yang wasn't even really sure why) Blake clammed up once again. She wasn't mean, per se, but she was... distant. She exchanged pleasantries, had a little banter if Yang was lucky, and then small comments here and there. Blake had canceled all of their future plans and all of the blonde's attempts to hang out with her book-smart co-worker were rebuffed with a polite 'no thank you' and a small, sad smile. Always that sad smile.

That was what made it more confusing. The fact that Blake always looked like she wanted to say 'yes', but held herself back. That is precisely why Yang never stopped asking. It's why Yang pushed the issue, hoping (but not expecting) for the raven-haired woman to speak her mind once more.

That's why it was so surprising to hear what she said next.

"Um... I was just wondering i-if you... wanted company on your walk home?" Blake asked, almost hopefully. "I mean, I completely understand if you want to be alone. I know I would if my... um, well..." She froze up, as if she was about to let a part of her mysterious past slip through, and closed her mouth tightly.

"Uh, yeah! That would," Yang cleared her throat, not wanting to sound too eager. "That would be really awesome, thanks Blake." Her smile grew a bit brighter, almost to it's normal wattage.

_Well, that was unexpected._  Yang thought to herself as she and Blake got ready for their shift. But she wasn't about to complain. The girl she adored  _finally_ wanted to spend time with her and she had a powerful ally in her search for Ruby. Maybe things weren't as bad as she thought.


	4. Easy There Kitty-Cat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo, Blue again! Another addition to this story. We finally get to see more interaction between Yellow Dragon and Nightshade (which is honestly so much fun to write). I hope you all have as much fun with this chapter as I did writing it. Also thanks for all the comments! I'm so happy y'all are enjoying this fic. Let me know what you think of this chapter too. Enjoy the Bees! 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

In hindsight, the decision to walk Yang back was pretty risky. Not that she thought they would would be attacked. Actually, that is precisely why she wanted to walk her back in the first place, to see if they would make a move on Ruby's sister as well. If they did, this might be a clue as to why the young red-head was taken.

Not that she was using Yang for bait, she just wanted to be absolutely certain that the blonde was safe. The risk was a more personal issue. Walking Yang home could be seen as a ploy to get closer to the woman. And while she wished she could, she knew that it would hurt both of them in the end. So, to deter the blonde from looking too much into this, Blake tried to remain taciturn through their walk back.

It was clearly evident that blonde did not like awkward silences though.

They must have been approximately half way to the manor and Yang had been trying desperately to ignite some semblance of a conversation. Thus far, it seemed to be quite one sided. She seemed to never run out of topics. She would talk about everything and anything.

Anything but Ruby today, Blake noted.

"So!" Yang stated, suddenly changing the subject. "I read that book you told me about, the one with the animal kids."

"Oh?" Blake kept herself brief, but her curiosity was peaked. She knew that Yang wasn't much for reading, so the fact that she read the book she recommended made her feel touched. She felt-

Nope, none of that. It was just a book, no big deal.

"Yeah! It was really awesome! Ugh and so sweet." Yang gushed. "I loved the interplay between the lion and the cat. They were so different, but fell in love all the same."

There was this warm sweet smile that graced Yang's lips when talking about the two fictional characters. Blake found this smile just as endearing (if not more) than her bright giant smile. It was like a cool summer breeze, making everyone who saw it feel relaxed and at ease. Blake wished that the smile was one that was only reserved for her. That Yang only looked that way when it was Blake.

It was merely a hope, and one that she knew would never be true.

"Me too." Blake agreed. "I could really relate with the cat." More than Yang knew. The story was about kids who had the ability to turn into animals. When Blake first read the book, it was right when she discovered her abilities. It had been helpful to find others like her, even if it was in a work of fiction. In fact, she had even taken the idea of wearing a bow to hide her feline ears to heart. She didn't need to keep them out, but it felt more comfortable and natural at this point to let them pop up whenever she so desired.

"Actually," Yang started. "I felt like the lion. Funny, tough, and protective of..." Yang trailed off.

"Her sister?" Blake asked, but immediately regretted it. Yang closed her eyes and stopped walking.

"Heh, Yeah," She sighed, looking down at the ground. Blake wanted to say something, but before she could, Yang shook her head, put on a false smile and started walking again. "Weiss is SO the rabbit though. Snippy and sassy from a ritsy background."

"So does that mean that we are pseudo sisters?" Blake joked. The cat and rabbit weren't related, but the rabbit had taken the cat in and the two took care of each other as sisters would. Blake wasn't even around Weiss enough to say for certain that they were friends. "Highly unlikely." Blake chuckled a bit.

"Eh, you never know. She has a soft spot for the lost and wandering ones. I mean, she did take in me and Rubes." Yang commented. Something about that didn't sit well with Blake. Lost and wandering? What had Yang and Ruby been through before they met the heiress?

"Anyways." The blonde changed the subject, "It's... um... been a while since we have talked."

"We talk at work."

"Well, yeah. But, that's small talk." Yang explained. "And even on this walk... you haven't said much. Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE talking." Yang extended the word 'love'. Blake giggled a little at that.

"But I like hearing you talk too, you know." Yang said in a soft voice. A voice so soft and tender that you wouldn't think it could have come from the brash and loud blonde. Her lilac-eyes flicked to her right, searching for amber. Blake felt herself blush, but said nothing. What could she say?

"Blake?" Yang asked after realizing that Blake wasn't going to respond to her previous statement.

"I," Blake started "I'm sorry." It was all she could say.

"Sorry about what?"

"I'm... I'm just sorry," She was sorry that she couldn't let her in, no matter how much she wanted to.

Silence fell for a couple minutes as the pair kept walking.

"We're here," Yang informed her.

"Right."

"You know," she started cautiously, as if she was dealing with a skittish animal. "You could always stick around for a bit? We could pop in a movie, I could cook a... decent-ish meal? Like we used to a while ago?"

Blake smiled, remembering the last time Yang had attempted to cook for the two of them. It ended in Yang screaming 'Fire! Fire!', Blake spraying the kitchen (along with herself and Yang due to Yang's flailing) in extinguisher fluid, and the two of them giggling about the whole thing after the fact over take-out food. She wondered if the blonde's cooking skills had in fact improved or if it would be better to just order out again and save the maids the trouble of cleaning up after her.

Her smile immediately soured as she remembered what she had told herself before. She couldn't get close.

"I'm-"

"Sorry?" Yang finished her sentence with a smirk. Blake nodded looking at the ground, her eyebrows furrowed. "It''s fine, Blake. Just know... Know that you are always welcome."

She took one of Blake's hands and gave it a quick squeeze, bringing the raven-haired girl's eyes to hers.

"I always love your company, Blake." She told her, with that same warm smile. It took all of her being to not go back on her word, but Blake remained firm. Soon, Yang let go of her hand and Blake backed up a bit, managing a small wave.

"Goodbye, Yang."

"See ya around, Blakey." She said with a wink, and into the manor she went.

Blake lingered for a second, staring at the door the blonde had just went through. She them turned around and started to make the trek home.

She held the hand that Yang had just grabbed up to her cheek. Both were still warm.

**XxXxX**

After Blake left, Yang ate a simple meal and spent the rest of her time training. In the basement of the manor there was a reasonably sized gym. One that Yang sort of... commandeered when she arrived here. Not like Weiss actually used it, if she wanted to exercise, she often went out to a public gym oddly enough. Yang supposed that it was so she could show off to others. That and it could get a little dark and dreary without natural light.

Yang didn't like that either but she made do.

Luckily, she was able to get Weiss to take down the security cameras that used to be in this room. She told her that she didn't like the feeling of being watched while she worked out. It wasn't a complete lie, but part of that request had to do with the fact that she needed some place to practice using her powers.

Today, she was satisfied with normal training. After going through the less rigorous routine, she found herself wailing on a punching bag.

Jab, jab, cross.

She thought she had made some progress with Blake. She was actually able to spend some time with her.

Jab, jab, cross.

Why did she have to ask her to hang out.

Uppercut, uppercut.

She knew that she was pushing her luck as it was. She was so lame.

Jab, Jab.

This could have been her chance to make things right. To build a ladder to climb that wall that Blake had built.

Cross, cross, cross, jab, cross.

And now Blake had probably built that wall higher.

Uppercut.

The punching bag ripped open upon that last strike, spilling it's sandy guts all along the floor. Yang sighed, knowing that she would have to clean that up later. It's not like anyone would be there to see the mess, but it would just bother Yang. Having enhanced strength had it's ups and it's downs.

Looking at the time, Yang was relieved to see that it was almost time to meet Nightshade. She didn't want to think about what a complete fool she made of herself in front of Blake. Fighting crime was easier than trying to get that girl to do anything with the blonde.

**XxXxX**

"Hey there, kitty-cat!" Yellow Dragon greeted as she hopped onto the roof.

"You're late." Nightshade stated, not amused in the least.

"Well good evening to you too." Yang smirked, figuring that would be her reaction.  _She'll be a tough one to crack,_  she noted internally. "You're a chipper one."

"We have a job to do, so let's do it."

"Oof, kitty does have claws after all." YD put a hand to her chest in mock hurt. "Come on, if we are gonna be working together, we should at least try and get along. You know, playful banter, witty jabs, all that jazz."

"Do we have to?"

"Yes! It's what all good partners do!"

"We are not partners." She coldly spat.

"But we're working together aren't we?"

"Only for this, then I'm out."

"I really think you should reconsider," Yellow Dragon requested, with a sly grin "I think that we would be... 'Paw'esome together." To add further offense she gave a little wink.

"Ugh, I thought you said you wouldn't make terrible jokes around me."

"I said I wouldn't follow you around and make terrible jokes," Yang shrugged, "I never said I WOULDN'T make the jokes when we were out looking for clues."

"Lucky me." Nightshade deadpanned. But a small ghost of a smile crept onto her face. It was a short lived one, but one that YD took pride in eliciting. But instead of teasing her for enjoying her humor, she decided to let her just keep her little secret.

"Right!" The disguised Yang clapped her gloved hands together, "So, where do we start partner?"

"Not your partner."

"Ok, friend."

"Not your friend."

"We could be."

"No we couldn't, I don't have friends."

"Wow, emo much?"

"We should start at the scene of the crime, see if there was something that the police missed." The dark hero continued, answering her previous statement.

"Alright, sounds good to me, partner." She walked forward, looked back and threw a wink. She then proceeded to jump down over the edge of the roof towards the crime scene.

"NOT. PARTNERS." She vaguely heard Nightshade call out as she was falling. Not bothering to argue any further, Yang started strutting her way to their destination. She then heard the fluttering of wings in her right ear and turned to see a crow following her.

"Um, Nightshade?" She checked. Upon asking, the crow shifted into the said hero. "Man, that is one cool power you got there. I would love to turn into a REAL dragon."

Nightshade rolled her eyes at that comment.

"Come on, before we garner too much attention." The dark hero warned, dragging the blonde by her arm.

"Whatever mew say." She practically purred at her own joke. Nightshade groaned and let go of her arm.

They arrived at the crime scene in no time at all and started inspecting for clues. Unfortunately, neither girl was able to find anything that they didn't already know.

"Damn, I thought for sure there would be something they missed." Yellow Dragon huffed in frustration.

"Hmm, yeah. Nothing out of the ordinary." Nightshade commented.

"You know Ruby though, right?" YD feigned ignorance. "Maybe we could talk with her family, do you happen to know where she lives?"

"Yes, she lives in the Schnee manor." Her not-partner informed her. So she even knew her living arrangement. Yang wondered what else she knew.

"Wow, the Schnee manor? That's pretty ritzy. How'd she wind up there." Yang asked, trying to keep her cover while scouting out for information on her mysterious partner.

"Well, I heard that Ruby started dating the heiress, Weiss. I think she invited her and her sister to stay there."

Well, to be fair, most people could have gleaned this information from the paper. They loved hounding the Schnee about what she was doing at all times. That didn't tell her anything more about Nightshade other than the fact that they happened to live in the same city.

"Why don't we head over there and see if we can talk to her family then." Yellow Dragon suggested. "Maybe they can give us some clues." This was a tad risky, but it was a way for her to seem like she had no connection to Ruby at all. Also, she had a feeling Weiss would tell her more information as a hero rather than her girlfriend's sister. Weiss might be a bit cold at times, but she knew that she would try and sugar-coat this. It was her sister after all.

"Sure." Nightshade agreed. The pair started walking away when the cat-like hero stopped suddenly, eyes fixated on something on the ground.

"What is it?" The bright hero asked.

"Over there." Nightshade pointed, walking over to where she was looking. "It's... a footprint."

Coming over to Nightshade, Yellow Dragon saw what she was talking about. Just outside of the crime scene there was a large red footprint.

"Oh wow, good find." The blonde commented, kneeling down to inspect it closer. "What do you think it is?" Yang heard a sniffing from behind her.

"It think it's clay. Or something similar to that." Nightshade informed. YD was about to ask her how she knew that, but before she could, she saw her pseudo partner tap her nose. In response, she gave a silent 'Aaah'.

"That's a pretty nifty perk, there." She smirked up at Nightshade. "I'll see if I can scope out some places that might have clay sediments. Good find, partner."

"Not your partner." She corrected. "For now, we should go to the manor before it gets too late."

"Okie dokie, pal,"

"Not your pal,"

"Well not with an attitude like that,"

"Do you insist on being a pest?"

"Do you insist on being a stiff?"

"Why are you so obsessed with being my friend?"

"Why WOULDN'T you want to be my friend?" Giving out her third wink of the night. "I happen to be a great friend. I am loyal and caring."

"Like a dog" The dark hero quipped. "Something tells me that wouldn't work out so well." She gestures to her ears.

"Woof, harsh words from mew."

"You used that joke already!"

"Eh, if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

"Let's just go to the manor." Nightshade pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Alright, alright." YD raised her hands in defense, and flashed her not-partner a smirk. For a moment, she saw a look of confusion flash on Nightshades face. She didn't get to ask if anything was wrong because before she could, she started walking again.

"Come on, I know the way."

The pair walked off in the direction of Schnee manor. What they did not notice was a woman with mint green hair who had been watching them interact. With wide eyes, she pulled out her scroll and dialed.

"Hey, it's Emerald. You'll never believe who I just saw." She whispered into the device. "Yeah, her, he's gonna want to hear about this." She nodded, listening to the voice on the other end. "Mhm, she does have a connection to that Ruby brat after all. Looks like plans are gonna change."


	5. Here to Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightshade and Yellow Dragon reach out to the young heiress, unaware of what evil forces are at hand. Can these two get along enough to actually help find Ruby?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Blue again! How you all enjoy this chapter. Enjoy the Bees!

The grandfather clock in the library ticked endlessly, and the one and only inhabitant was acutely aware of that fact. She could see the words on the page in front of her but she could not focus on them. Sighing in defeat, Weiss Schnee set her book down in her lap. It was late. She should be sleeping.

But she could not. She kept thinking about Ruby.

On the night that Ruby went missing, Weiss had been able to sleep soundly. The heiress had assumed that she would creep into bed late into the night like she usually did when hanging up fliers for that hero club she loved so much. Oh, sorry, organization. Ruby always got on her case when she called it a club. Something about wanting to be taken seriously.

When she did not get woken up by a thud, small 'Sorry Weiss', and the scent of roses and sugar infiltrating her nose as a figure slipped into bed, she knew something was wrong. And the past two nights since had not been any better.

She tossed and turned endlessly, unable to get comfortable. She was used to her girlfriend's presence and the thought that there was a possibility she would never fall asleep with the girl again- No. No, stop that. That simply would not happen. She was Weiss Schnee. She was one of the most influential people in Remnant. She had unlimited resources to help her find Ruby.

Then why did she feel so helpless?

Knowing that she wouldn't be able to sleep, Weiss headed to the library and attempted to get lost in a story. Reading had been more of Ruby's thing, she probably read more books than Weiss had. Ruby was it's most frequent visitor. Blake visited too, when she used to hang around here with Yang.

That was another reason why she could not sleep, she was worried about Yang coming home. She may not have always gotten along with her, but she had become family to her. She would not be able to cope with losing both of the sisters.

_Stop thinking, just try to read._  She told herself, but was reminded of how out of her wheelhouse she was in this setting.

Weiss thought that it was still better than futilely attempting to sleep in a dark and cold room. But the words meant nothing without Ruby asking her every five seconds what she thought of it and what part she was at. Funny how something so bothersome can be so endearing when it is gone.

_DING-DONG._

The front doorbell rang out. Weiss looked at the still-ticking grandfather clock and saw that it was just about twelve thirty. Who on Remnant was at her house at twelve thirty in the morning. Hastily, she got up from her seat to answer the door, wishing to grab it before any of the butlers or maids could.

She was frustrated and wanted to ream out whoever dared to bother her so late at night. She ripped open the door violently.

"Do you have any idea how la-" She started, but the words died in her mouth as she saw who was at the front door. "I... um..."

"Hello, there." Yellow Dragon smiled brightly with Nightshade right beside her, her hands folded behind her back. "Mind if we come in and have a word with you?"

**XxXxX**

Blake may not have known Weiss very long, but she knew her enough to see that she was flabbergasted at her new guests. She stood there for a good ten seconds, just staring at the two of them before inviting them inside. Yellow Dragon stomped inside jovially, looking around the place.

"Wow, Schnee manor." YD whistled, taking in the sight. "This place IS as ritzy as they say." She spun around and faced the dark hero and the ivory-haired heiress.

"Stop drooling, you'll stain the carpet." Nightshade chided. Something about Dragon brought out her more playful side. She also brought up feelings of familiarity. That meant that she must know her as a civilian too. It was the way perception masks worked, one might get some semblance of recognition but nothing more. It was like hearing a song and swearing you know the title, but never figuring out what it was.

"Ha, see. I told you we'd get along." She wore a cocky grin and folded her arms in a confident manner.

"Ahem," a voice they both forgot existed for a second piped up, a bit irritated. Weiss had seemed to have gotten over her stunned stupor and was now just confused and frustrated. "What exactly is going on here?"

"Oh, sorry, my bad. I'm Yellow Dragon." YD extended her hand forward.

"Yes, I can SEE that." Weiss stated, grasping the hero's hand with caution. Her eyes shifted towards Nightshade. "And... and..."

"Nightshade" She filled in.

"But... didn't you dissa-" Weiss stammered.

"I wouldn't go there." Dragon stopped her. "Touchy subject." She loudly whispered. This earned her a glare and frown from Nightshade. She was right, but still.

"Look." The raven-haired hero cut in. "We're here because we want to help. You are Ruby Rose's girlfriend, correct?"

"Y-yes." She whispered softly. "You want to try and find her?"

"That's right! We won't stop till she's back home, safe and sound." The bright hero boasted with bravado.

"Why?" Weiss asked.

"What?" Yellow Dragon asked "What do you mean why? You've got two super heroes LITERALLY on your doorstep, looking to help you find someone you love dearly, and you ask why?"

"No, no, no, don't get me wrong. I'm very grateful!" Weiss stumbled out uncharacteristically clumsy. "I just want to know why? Why her? You have to keep an entire city safe, why focus on one person?"

There was a pause as the heiress' question sank in. Blake knew why she was there, and from what YD said, she had a similar experience. But it was much different for Blake; She knew Ruby, knew her sister, knew her girlfriend. Blake felt incredibly at fault here and she wanted to fess up to Weiss.

"I-" The masked Blake tried to speak.

"Because we are heroes." YD interrupted. "You're right, We made a promise to help the city. To protect it's citizens. ALL of it's citizens. There's no such thing as a job too small. And yeah it is true that there are other things going on, but that's why we have so many heroes in this city. They can pick up the slack while we help find your girlfriend."

"I... Um... Thank you." Weiss thanked in a hushed voice. It was still strange to see the strong heiress at a loss for words."

"No sweat, we'll find her in no time." The bright hero gave a big thumbs up and a huge grin. "Now, we didn't come over just to let you know we were working on finding Ruby. We've got some questions for ya."

"Yes, and for her sister too." Nightshade added, and noticed YD flinch slightly at her addition.

"Actually, I'm afraid she is not here right now. She is still... out." Weiss informed them.

Yang was still out this late at night? What was she doing? Was she ok? Nightshade, having years of practice, was able to conceal her fears, but a swirl of emotions still brewed underneath the surface.

"Is she ok?" She allowed herself to ask.

"Yes, I believe so. Yang is... strong and..." Weiss sighed. "Very stubborn. I believe she is trying to find clues about what happened to Ruby, just like you."

What was she thinking? Doesn't she know that she could be next? It was becoming more challenging for Nightshade to hide her emotions about this situation.

"She shouldn't do that, it's too dangerous." Nightshade said, just barely keeping her cool. This was Yang they were talking about. Try as she may to keep her distance, she still cared for the girl. Deeply.

"Oh trust me, I know." Weiss huffed, putting her hands on her hips and rolling her eyes upwards. "But she is too stubborn for her own good. I doubt even the mayor could get her to stop, let alone two super heroes."

"Sounds like a feisty one. Determined too." Concluded Yellow Dragon. "Listen, I'll look out for her. I'll keep tabs on what she is doing, and let ya know if any trouble comes up, yeah?"

"Me too, I'll help find her." Nightshade piped in.

"No! That won't be necessary." She said with a forced smile.

"Are you sure?"

"Yuppers, won't even break a sweat!"

"I would appreciate that, thank you." Weiss nodded her head in agreement, ending the dispute between the heroes. "She... means a lot to me. More than she knows."

Nightshade soon realized (even though she had not known the hero for too long) that a sight far rarer than Weiss at a loss for words was Yellow Dragon in the same state. The girl always had a quick quip, a snappy comeback, a terrible joke. But here she was, not knowing what to say. Why did that comment effect her so? Blake tried not to think about it too much. She didn't want her to know who she was, so she wouldn't dig into the inner-workings of Yellow Dragon.

"I'll be sure to pass that along." She smiled meekly, something that felt out of place for a hero. "I'll also let her know that we are on the case, not that it will make a difference from what you told me. Do you have a picture so I can see who exactly I am looking for?"

"Yes, of course. There is a picture right on that table over there." She pointed to the table she was talking about. It had a few frames on it. "She's the blonde."

Yellow Dragon picked up a picture that had a white-haired, red-headed and blonde girl all smushed together in what looked like a selfie. They all looked very happy and Nightshade couldn't help but smile at the family picture (even if it was a slightly unorthodox one). YD was smiling too, but it was different then Nightshade's. It was, soft and delicate, looking as though she were in thought.

"She's a cutie. I'll be able to spot her without a problem." She smirked. Aaaand she's back.

"Anyways." Nightshade stopped her not-partner before she could say anymore. "We still have some questions to ask you, if you would be willing to help us out."

"Yes of course, I'll help as much as I can,"

**XxXxX**

"Alright! One step closer to solving this thing!" YD cheered as the pair left the ivory-haired girl's estate. "We should probably call it for tonight though. I'm not sure what more we can do at night."

"Obviously you don't work at this time enough," Nightshade quipped snarkily. "The night is young and is the perfect time to do things undetected. Why do you think so many crimes happen after dark?"

"Hey now," The cheerful hero defended. "I work at night too! I can stay up as late as I need to." She boasted, however her body betrayed her by letting a yawn slip out almost immediately after.

"You were saying?"

"Shut up, I like my sleep." YD exclaimed, giving up. This earned a small chuckle from her not-partner. "Oh, so she CAN smile."

"What do you mean?" Nightshade asked, feeling a bit attacked.

"Well, since I've met you, you've been all broody mcbroodster. Too wrapped up in your 'tragic back story' to have any fun." She used air quotes on 'tragic back story'. "I guess it was a surprise that I got you to laugh."

"I was laughing AT you."

"Semantics." She brushed off. "So what's the deal? What's your 'tragic back story'?"

"I'm not telling you anything."

"Well, if it would make you feel any better, I can tell you mine!" Dragon grinned. "I was-"

She was cut off by Nightshade physically putting her hand over her mouth.

"No."

"Mrrrph mmmh mrrrph?"

"Listen." She said with cold intensity. "You haven't been a hero for long, so how about I teach you some things that might save your life."

She kept her hand over the girl's mouth and just stared into her eyes for a minute or two.

"Your identity is your most precious possession. We might have these perception modulators in our masks, but they are NOT fool-proof. Tip someone off to who you are too much and it might trigger a recognition. And THEN what are you going to do? Someone knows who you are. Knows who's close to you. Knows your weaknesses. Then what kind of hero would you be? How will you be able to save anyone?"

She released her hand and turned away from Yellow Dragon.

"So that's what happened. Someone figured out who you were and you... ran?"

"SHUT UP!" She spun around to face her again and spat viciously. "That isn't what happened! You don't know ANYTHING!"

Nightshade expected the hero to scream right back at her. From what she heard, YD had quite the temper. But instead, she just saw guilt across her face.

"I... I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..." She sighed. "Sorry... I guess that... I don't know. I was just confused why you left. The city needed you. And I thought you... Ran."

A silence filled the air.

"I did." Nightshade whispered to Yellow Dragon. She then transformed into a crow and flew away. Looking back, she saw look of sorrow and understanding in the other hero.

**XxXxX**

_Well, that could have gone better_  Yang thought as she watched Nightshade fly away. She hoped the hero would still help her, but she was more concerned about her well-being. For some reason, she felt like part of her knew Nightshade. She wanted to help her.

Brushing those thoughts aside, she decided it was probably time to head in. Weiss seemed very worried about Yang. The sentiment touched her, but she still didn't want to put the heiress through more suffering than she was already going through.

After walking around a bit (To keep up the appearance that Yellow Dragon went out looking for Yang) she returned to the manor as Yang. She futilely hoped that Weiss would be asleep by now, seeing as it was 2:15 am. Unfortunately, those hopes were dashed away as she was immediately greeted by the heiress' presence.

"Hey Weiss, I'm back." she told her weakly.

"Yes, I see. And you will not believe what has happened tonight."

"Doooes it have something to do with Yellow Dragon finding me and telling me to 'Get my ass home, Weiss is worried sick'?"

"Yes, yes it does."

And so Weiss recounted all that had transpired between the heroes and her and Yang just listened, trying to react at the different parts of her story.

"So, they are going to help us find Ruby?" Yang tried to summarize.

"They are." Weiss confirmed. "And I told them that you were trying to do the same thing. They said that you shouldn't be doing that, but I told them that it would be futile to even TRY stopping you when you are determined."

"Damn straight!" She cheered.

"It was strange though. Nightshade seemed... very concerned about you."

"Really?" the blonde asked in genuine confusion. She figured that she was too focused on trying to keep her cover than noticing how her pseudo-partner was acting. Why was she so concerned about Yang?

"Perhaps she was worried about the people who took Ruby taking you too."

"Hmm." Yang hummed, deep in thought. She was brought out of it by the chiming of the bells from one of the many ornate clocks in the manor. It was officially three o'clock. "Weiss, we need to go to bed."

The ivory-haired woman's face contorted at that.

"Still can't sleep?" Yang asked.

She shook her head in response and looked down at the ground in shame.

"Want to sleep in my room?" Yang offered. She did not get a verbal response, just a weak smile from the heiress as she followed the blonde to her room.

**XxXxX**

Every time she opened up her eyes, she hoped that she would be greeted by a soothing sight. She wished that she would see Weiss and that she shush her and tell her that it was all a dream. That she was not taken by some crazy people. That she had not been kidnapped.

Yet, every time she opened her eyes, Ruby Rose was reminded that she was in fact kidnapped.

She sat in a wooden chair with her arms tied behind her back. Some people came in with food every now and then. On the first day, she resisted, fearing that it had been drugged, but when the hunger pains came, she found that she no longer cared if it was drugged or not.

It was, luckily, not.

They also untied her every now and then to get her walking. I guess they didn't want her to get too weak? Strange.

There were no windows where she was, it was dark most of the time, until someone came in and flipped the light switch. Then her eyes would burn from the sudden exposure. She was only able to glean what time of day it was by the meal that they gave her. They were simple meals, but very clearly breakfast lunch and dinner. It may have only been a couple days, but it felt longer to Ruby. She had nothing to do but sit, think and pass the time by sleeping. She thought it had been much longer, but when she realized how many meals she had eaten here, it had only been about three days.

She wanted to be strong. She knew that if (Oum forbid) Yang or Weiss had been in this pickle, they would have fought more. They might have been able to overpower their captors and make a daring escape. But Ruby, she was far too weak. She was no super hero, as much as she wished to be. She couldn't lift cars, or turn into animals, or anything. She could put up fliers for Jaune, but she had even failed at that.

The door creaked open in the middle of Ruby's self pitying. A dark figure walked in and closed the door behind them.

"Hello, Ruby Rose." He spoke almost sweetly, but there was a hint of malice underneath. He did not turn the light on, deciding to stick to the shadows.

"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Ruby cried out with a hoarse voice. She had screamed almost endlessly the first night, but given into silence since.

A sinister chuckle reverberated off the wall of her prison and sent shivers down her spine. The voice felt... familiar. Not like someone she had known directly, but still a voice she had heard quite often long ago.

"Well, originally, we were going to extort the ice queen for money." he answered honestly. "We figured she would do ANYTHING to get her girlfriend back."

"And now?" Ruby asked, feeling like their plans had changed.

"Now," He began, stepping closer. "You have supplied us with something much more... sweet."

He got sickeningly close to Ruby and whispered in her ear.

"Revenge."

Shuddering, Ruby attempted to slink away from the man. He chuckled again and stepped back towards the door. Light infiltrated Ruby's vision and blinded her momentarily as the man turned on the light switch. She did not need to see to know that the man had invaded her personal space, getting real close to her face.

She blinked a few times and was able to finally see who this man was. He had bright crimson hair and a bone-like mask that had two horns protruding from the top. Through the slates in his mask, she could see blood red eyes staring at her. She gasped at the sight.

"R-raging Bull!" She stammered.

"R-right you are." He mocked.

"But... But y-you're dead."

"Not quite." He said with a sinister smirk.

"Why do you want revenge on Weiss?"

He laughed again.

"It's not her we are after anymore." He informed. "Tell me... what do you know... about Nightshade?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plot thickens. Thanks for all the kudos on the last chapter. Leave a comment to let me know what you think of this one.


	6. The Distance Between Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The pair continue on in their journey, helping each other without even knowing it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like Blake will have to deal with her past, now won't she? Thanks again for all the kudos and comments. Hope you all enjoy this continuation of the heroic tale. Enjoy the Bees!

Guilt. That's what Blake felt the next day. Not for what she had said to Yellow Dragon.

Well... not entirely.

The girl obviously didn't know what she was talking about. She didn't know Blake and what she had gone through and she was so fresh in the super hero game that the gravity of the job had not hit her yet. Blake recalled a time when she too thought that being a hero was all fun and games, a simpler time when she thought she was untouchable.

Never in her life had she been so wrong.

Still, that was no excuse for Yellow Dragon to make assumptions about her. So no, the guilt was not entirely about her calling out Dragon. The guilt came when she remembered that she wasn't the only one who thought Nightshade had cowardly run away. And she knew that she HAD run away.

When the event happened, she was so consumed by rage and revenge, the next month had become a blur of seething hatred. She was hellbent on finding him. Hellbent on making him pay. And it started to change her. She was less hero. Less human.

More like him.

She was the beasts she changed into. Blood thirsty and vicious. It scared her.

After the train, when she was sure he was gone for good, she had traveled for a while. She was desperate to get away from everything and gain some semblance of her old self back. She wasn't entirely successful, but she knew that by the time she had come back to the city, she would be ok with hearing about the aftermath of everything.

Well, she wasn't really ok, but she wasn't curled up bawling her eyes out anymore and that was an improvement.

And this wasn't her first time dealing with this guilt. It was the first time she dealt with someone saying it straight to her face, knowing that she was Nightshade, but she would just try and shake it off like any other comment.

It was more difficult than she anticipated.

"Blaaaaaaake." A voice sang in the background, as she was lost in thought. She placed the last item in the plastic bag before her, collected the money and mechanically wished the figure a good day.

Maybe if she thought about how to find Ruby, it would get her mind off of her past failures.

"Blaaaaaaakeeey."

Nope, that just made her feel even worse. More guilt.  _Great going Belladonna, you really know how to turn things around_ , she chided herself.

"Earth to Blake! Earth to Blake, can you hear us Blake?" A playful voice finally cut through and made it's way to Blake's ears.

"Huh?" She so elegantly replied.

"You doin' ok there, Kitten?" Yang asked with concern.

Kitten? Wait, did she know who she was? Panic surged in Blake's body and she paled quite a bit.

"What did you call me?"

"Oh! I am so sorry, do you not like that nickname? I just called you that cause you said that you felt like the cat girl from that series and you even wear a bow like she did and I'll stop rambling now." Yang spoke a mile a minute, attempting to explain herself and beg for forgiveness. Blake's heart finally slowed to a normal pace again and she was able to breathe.

"No, it's fine, I just wasn't expecting it, is all." She chuckled nervously to try and ease the tension. "Sorry, what did you want to ask me?" she steered the conversation back on track.

"You, uh... You just seem kinda out of it today. I wanted to see if you were alright." She lightly rubbed her upper arm with her other hand in a nervous gesture. A gesture mostly foreign for the feisty blonde. "Obviously, I went about it in the wrong way." She smile softly, with a twinge of guilt.

"I," Blake started, not wanting to lie to Yang when she seemed so vulnerable, but also knowing that she couldn't tell her the complete truth. "I just have a lot on my mind is all."

"Wanna talk about it?" Yang offered. "We both get off soon and I could use a walking buddy again." She winked at Blake which caused the other girl to blush lightly.

"I don't really want to talk about it, if you don't mind." Blake replied and regretted it immediately as she saw the blonde's face drop. "But, I could still keep you company on your walk back."

Yang perked up at this and beamed at her. Oum she was so gorgeous when she smiled.

But Blake was only walking her home to keep her safe. No body attacked them yesterday, but they very well may be laying in wait at any moment to strike. It was Blake's duty to make sure she was safe. She was just doing her job and containing the situation.

That's what she told herself.

"Great!" She said, stepping out of the register area. It was then that Blake had noticed something very peculiar about Yang.

"Yang?"

"Hmm?"

"You've... got some red dirt on your boots."

"Oh, yeah, they always get like that after I've been to Junior's."

"Junior's?"

"Yeah, it's this nightclub," Yang explained. "I went there to... see my dear friend Junior. Poor guy just got his heart broken." Yang laughed nervously. A lie.

She understood why Yang lied about being there. She was there looking for clues about Ruby and probably didn't want to worry Blake (a little too late for that). But how did she know about the clay-like foot print? Maybe she didn't, maybe she just got lucky and happened to figure out the correct place to go. Still, thank Oum that she had, cause now Blake knew. Which meant Nightshade knew too.

**XxXxX**

"So then I told him, 'naw, this is how you want to throw a punch!'" Yang explained to her walking partner, showing an example punch. "And I... well I had a bit too much and didn't judge the distance properly. So this guy is down, on the ground, knocked out cold, alright? And now, all his buddies eyes are on me."

Blake listened to the Blonde's story with part fascination and part horror. Blake had asked more about the bar Yang had talked about, Junior's. It was a seedy little joint in a bad part of town. The place had a reputation for loud pumping music, plenty of hard liquor and the roughest, toughest inhabitants. Yang went into a story about her first time there, where she had accidentally started a thirteen on one brawl with a single punch. And, against all odds, Yang walked out of that bar with only one black eye and a cut on her left cheek. Junior, who was also part of the thirteen unlucky people to meet Yang's fist, was apparently impressed with the girl's fighting skills.

"'I don't know how the hell you beat us all up, blondie, but that was one hell of a fight' he told me," Yang attempted an impression of a gruff man. "He actually offered me a job as a personal bodyguard."

"Really?" She didn't like the idea of Yang getting into bar fights, let alone being a bodyguard. However, it seemed as though the blonde could take care of herself. She wondered if she even needed to accompany her on her walks, but decided that it was still better to be safe than sorry. Or at least, that's what she told herself. It was also just a good excuse to spend more time with the blonde while still maintaining a proper amount of distance.

"Yeah, this was a couple years ago when Ruby and I were a little down on our luck." Yang explained "I considered taking it, but... something felt... wrong about it."

"I mean, from what you told me, it seems like a very sketchy place anyways."

"Well, yeah, but Junior is practically harmless," Yang waved off. "I just... felt like I was meant for something more... noble."

"Like bagging groceries for old ladies?" Blake teased, bumping into Yang intentionally.

"Of course!" Yang piped up in mock defense. "Bagging avocados for Mrs. Hue is a noble act and THE highlight of my days, Blake."

Blake laughed harder than she had meant to at that comment, especially since she too had the  _pleasure_  of checking out Mrs. Hues herself. Not a very nice woman, always had a harsh comment on the tip of her tongue, only ever buys avocados and nothing else. The image of Yang, this bright ball of sunshine, getting happiness from the grumpy old woman was too funny.

"I hate to disappoint you, but I don't think she feels the same about seeing you, Yang." Blake quipped. "I don't think she feels the same about seeing anyone for that matter."

Yang tried to seem hurt by Blake's comment, but she was too wrapped up in the contagious laughter of the raven-haired girl beside her. When the laughter died down, Blake could feel Yang's eyes on her. Glancing over, she saw a soft smile appear on the blonde's face.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, what?" Blake insisted.

"It's just... Naw it doesn't matter."

"Yang, just tell me."

"Well, I lied about my favorite part of the day."

"You mean you DON'T like checking out Mrs. Hues?" Blake feigned surprise. "Well, I will be certain to make her aware of this the next time she slithers in the store."

"Oh ha ha." Yang rolled her eyes. Yang then paused for a second, most likely waiting for the humor of the moment to die down. "My favorite part of the day is when you walk in those front doors, give me a small smile and say 'Hey, Yang',"

Another moment of silence. What was Blake supposed to say to that. She knew what she wanted to say. She wanted to say that that was her favorite part too. Just seeing the blonde made her stomach flutter excitedly. She wanted to tell her how much being in her presence filled her with warmth and comfort. She wanted to tell her that every time she smiled at her, she forgot about her past. She forgot about all the problems in her life.

Most of all, she wanted to tell her that she wanted to be with her.

But of course she couldn't tell her this. With a life such as Blake's, this was impossible. So instead, she used Yang as inspiration and tried to diffuse the situation with humor.

"W-wow Yang, first it's Mrs. Hues and her avocados and now it's me saying 'Hey'? You are an easily pleased woman aren't you." She tried to casually toss out, but it stumbled out awkwardly instead.

"I'm serious."

"We're here." Blake changed subjects as they had just arrived at the Schnee manor. She was grateful for that amazing timing.

"Oh, I guess we are." Yang observed, a bit distantly.

"Well... I should get going."

"Blake wait!" Yang grabbed her hand to stop her from leaving.

"Yang, I-"

"I'm sorry, that came out weird," The blonde's grip on her hand tightened a bit. "All I meant was that I enjoy seeing you and hanging out with you. You're... pretty cool." She finished lamely.

"Right," Blake responded. "You're pretty cool too, Yang."

The two stood there, eyes averted from each other, holding each others' hand for what felt like an eternity to Blake. In reality, it was probably only about twelve seconds.

"I should go." Blake stated, begrudgingly letting Yang's hand go."S-see you later."

"Yeah, bye Blake."

She started walking away from the manor like yesterday, but stopped for a second, feeling someone's eyes on her back.

_Don't look back, don't look back, don't look back._  She commanded herself. Ultimately, she betrayed herself and glanced back over her shoulder. Amber eyes met lilac ones. Yang was still on the steps, watching her friend walk off. Upon being discovered, Yang jumped slightly and fumbled with her keys to get into the manor.

And as much at she tried, Blake couldn't suppress a small smile that formed on her lips.

**XxXxX**

Oum she was so cute. Yang kept thinking about Blake, even now when she was on her way to the rendezvous point as Yellow Dragon. She thought about her laugh, her smile, her moments of quick wit. But most of all she thought about her eyes. Those beautiful golden orbs that seem to be filled with pain. She wanted to take away that pain, she wanted to heal her. It was partially due to her hero complex, but she also really cared for the girl. She constantly wondered what happened to make her the way she is now.

When their eyes met as Blake turned back, Yang thought her heart was going to stop. She was so entranced by the mysterious beauty, she almost ran into the door. She just wished that Blake would let her in, she wished that Blake felt the same for her. If not, she would settle for just being close friends with the girl. Anything to be near her.

"You're late." An unexpected voice pulled Yang out of her thoughts and caused her to jump for the second time that day. "Again."

Nightshade was casually perched upon a metal pipe, looking down at Yellow Dragon.

"Didn't think you were gonna come back."

"We have a job to do. My issues don't matter."

"Riiight, I forgot that you are the brooding type of hero."

"I will hurt you."

"I'd like to see you try, kitten." She through a wink at Nightshade. "But not tonight, we have work to do. I found out that the clay foot print came from-"

"Junior's" Nightshade interrupted. A bit taken back, YD's eyes widened at her knowledge. Nightshade, smirked at her reaction. "You have your sources, I have mine."

Yang felt her heart beat faster for a moment. That smirk, for some reason it made her stomach flutter. For unknown reasons, she felt as though she had seen that smile before. And she wished that Nightshade would smile more, if she was being honest. In that moment, Yang fully inspected Nightshade. She was truly beautiful, strong and clever, this much she could not deny. This did not help to slow her heart rate.

Wait no, She couldn't think that way. This girl didn't even consider her a friend. She was rude and kept an extraordinary amount of distance. There was no way she would let herself think of her in that way. Besides, there was Blake... who was also very closed off and kept her distance.

Yang then began to believe that maybe she had a type.

"Yellow Dragon?" Nightshade called out as she leaped down from her lofty perch.

"Huh, what?" YD responded.

"You seem lost in thought tonight."

"I guess I am."

A look in Nightshade's eyes told her that she wanted to ask her what was going on, but it was merely a small glimmer that died quickly.

"Don't let it distract you."

"And she's sensitive too."

"I told you-"

"Yeah, Yeah, I know. No exposing identities." She waved her off. "But the person that I usually talk to about this stuff is... not here right now."

She always talked to Ruby about... well... everything. She couldn't talk to Weiss either, she was too preoccupied with her work for the SDC and what was going on with Ruby's disappearance to talk about Yang's silly girl problems. She supposed she could probably reach out to some of her friends, but most of them also knew Blake. She wasn't subtle about her feelings for the girl, but didn't feel like broadcasting them. Nightshade was a completely unbiased source.

"What if I was very general in what I say."

"Why would you want to tell me this."

"I need to tell someone. If not, you'll be dealing with a very distracted partner all night."

"Not. Partners."

"Yeah, yeah. Will you listen?"

Nightshade let out a large sigh.

"Fine, but only until we get to Junior's" She conceded. Turning around and starting at a brisk pace towards what she thought was the direction to Junior's.

"This way, Nightshade." YD corrected with a smug grin. She hopped down from the roof with a small salute. Nightshade leaped after, deciding to trust YD's sense of direction.

"So there's this girl." Dragon started.

"Of course there is."

"And she is GORGEOUS." YD continued, ignoring Nightshade's comment. "We work together and we used to hang out all the time, but now she is avoiding me... well until recently."

"Shocker."

"But... I just really have these deep feelings for her. And I want to be with her, but I think she is holding back or something, you know? I think that someone hurt her in her past and I want to help her."

Instead of replying with a sassy comment this time, Nightshade was quiet.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" Yang teased.

"Maybe you can't help her." Nightshade supplied, choosing to not hear her latest cat joke. "Maybe you just have to either remain patient or give up. Maybe only she can save herself."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if something has happened in her past to make her this way, she needs to work through it."

"So... what? Just wait it out? That's your advice?"

"Hey, I didn't even promise you advice, I just said I would listen. Be grateful." Nightshade snipped. "I don't even know why I am telling you this! You probably won't even listen."

"What makes you say that?"

"I've seen you fight, you aren't exactly the most patient person."

Yellow Dragon stopped where she was and Nightshade was forced to stop with her.

"You're wrong."

"What?"

"For her, I would wait." She said, letting her voice take a thoughtful, but determined tone. Even Yang could tell that it was in stark contrast to her own normal layed-back and jovial one. "I would wait as long as it would take. I would wait as long as she needed me to."

And with that Yellow Dragon pressed onward, hearing Nightshade's footprints follow soon after.


	7. Puns and Punches

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes follow their only lead. Further down the path they go, but just how deep and dark is it? Will it bring to where they want to be or where they need to be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Everyone! Blue here! Wow, got a lot of feedback on that last chapter! I'm glad you all are enjoying this fic! I hope you enjoy this new addition. And what better day for bees then Valentine's Day! Much love for all of you! Let me know what you think. Enjoy the Bees!

With a swift final jab, the thug was down on the ground. Three more tried to sneak up behind her, but they clearly forgot who they were dealing with. And as a master of stealth, it wasn't hard to tell that this was not their forte. Blake changed to her cat form and slid underneath their legs. She then changed back behind them and knocked two of their heads together, effectively rendering them unconscious. She was about to attack the third man, but before she could, her… Associate, as she decided to call her, decided to come crashing down on the poor bastard, all ablaze.

What a warm welcome.

A couple men remained, but seemed too frightened to even attempt a swing at them. Blake thought back to the story Yang told her about her own brawl at this very club. It at first seemed incredible that she hadn't gotten too hurt in the fight. But after engaging in combat with them, she could see how sloppy and weak they were. Amateurs. She had no doubt that Yang would be able to predict their moves enough to take them down. Yang wasn't just looks, after all. She was rather brilliant in Blake's opinion.

"Aw, laaaame!" Yellow Dragon shouted. "That was so boring, I was expecting a better fight than THAT."

Wait.

"Why didn't you tell me that they would attack us?" Nightshade asked.

"I mean, I didn't know for sure, but they are connected to Ruby disappearing, right? Gotta be evil." Nightshade put a hand up to her head and sighed. 

 _This girl, I swear!_ she thought.

"Woah, woah, woah!" a voice called out from behind the remaining thugs. "Just what is going on here? I leave for two minutes to take a leak, and the place is trashed? What's your deal- oh damn, you're those super heroes." A burly man in a black vest (which was clearly too tight for him) and a thin red tie pushed his way to the front of the armed men.

"Yes, we are. And you might want to explain why YOUR men attacked us right when we entered?" Blake asked. She glared at the man in front of her, who she could only assume was Junior by the way the other thugs followed his lead. That and Yang's impression of him was pretty spot on.

"Well, um, ya seeee…" Junior said, looking to each of his remaining men, as if they could assist him in this explanation. "We were hired to stop you from snooping." Yellow Dragon stomped up to Junior and tugged his tie down roughly. He let out a cough and feebly looked up at his assailant.

"Who hired you?" YD seethed through gritted teeth. Just like that, the easy going demeanor she once possessed was gone and the room's temperature went up significantly. Nightshade took a step back from the scene. So this was the temper they had talked about.

"I-I don't know who they were. It was a big guy! They came and asked if they could use…" Junior told her, seemingly unable to complete his sentence. He turned his head away, breaking their eye contact. Dragon, however, wasn't having any of that.

"Use. What?" She demanded. Junior locked eyes with her again and sighed.

"The underground tunnels." He revealed. "There are these underground tunnels that run throughout vale. Used to be some sort of railroad or something, I dunno. One of the entrances is in the back of the club. The guy asked if he could use it to 'pick up some packages' and bring them back to his car. Probably drugs or something, a lot of folks do that."

"You LET drug deals happen behind your club?" Asked Nightshade, stepping back into the conversation. Junior swung his head as much as YD would allow him to and gave the dark hero a displeased look.

"Hey, look. I gotta make a living somehow. I never buy OR sell the stuff, just allow the scum access to my tunnels."

"Wouldn't it be government property?" Blake asked. Junior smirked.

"They don't have to know that." He told her, winking. Yellow Dragon tugged on his tie again, eliciting another strangled 'Gah!'.

"Focus. We aren't talking about drug dealing scum here! We are talking about kidnapping scum!" YD spat.

"Wait what?" Junior looked genuinely shocked. "I have never kidn-"

"Not you! The man!" She elaborated. "Did the guy tell you anything else?"

"Wha… I mean… Yeah. First he told me to take care of any suspicious people that came snooping around here. I told him that was a hard order, since most of our customers were suspicious looking. But another girl showed up yesterday night. Green hair, red eyes, a reeeal looker. I mean this girl had- GACK!" Another tug on his tie.

"Oh my OUM! Focus, you horny bastard!" Dragon groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"Alright! Alright. She said that he was an 'associate of hers' and that we should be on the lookout for you two. My MEN…" He looked over to his thugs. "Were supposed to handle it tactfully and let me know when you got here. As you can see, they are utterly useless."

The men in question rubbed their shoulders awkwardly.

"Now, if you wouldn't mind letting me go, I can show you where the entrance is."

"Why would you help us now?" The disguised Blake asked. "What makes you think we can trust you?"

"Easy, Kitty- GACK! Alright! Calm down, Nightshade. Look, we only attacked you cause we were gettin' paid to, alright? And you know what? We already got paid, the poor suckers. So there is no reason why we HAVE to follow through with their request anymore. And as for the trust part, can you really trust anyone? Would you rather trust a kind looking fella who will stab you in the back or a seedy guy such as myself who would do you the decency of stabbing you in the front?"

"Not helping your case, buddy." Dragon told him, her anger tempered for the moment.

"Alright, then. How about this. Even if I did betray you, what could I do? You've already faced my men. That's about all I've got."

YD turned to look at Nightshade and shared a look that said  _He's got a point ya know._

"Fine, show us." Blake answered finally. Upon hearing that, Yellow Dragon. released the man's cheap red tie.

"Alright! Secret tunnel!" She exclaimed with excitement. As if she hadn't lost her cool at all.

How did she do that?

**XxXxX**

Yang kicked herself for losing it a bit back there. Junior was just being… well…. Junior. But she just couldn't deal with it today. Ruby had been gone far too long for her liking and he was in the way of getting her back.

Junior hadn't been lying after all, no one had lunged from the shadows to attack them. That certainly didn't stop Nightshade from scanning the place like a hawk as they made their way down. It was pretty dark, but with her flames and Nightshade's night vision, they were able to navigate well enough.

If only it wasn't so damn quiet. Far too Quiet for Yang's liking.

"Sooooooooo…. Nightshade." The bright hero broke the silence. "You, uh…. You got a special person too?"

"Not answering that."

"So that's a yes?"

"I'm not answering that either."

"Ooooh, you got a special someoooone."

"No I do not!"

"Ha! You answered me!"

"I really don't like you."

"I grow on people." She shrugged. "Like moss."

"I highly doubt that."

"But seriously though! I told you about my special someone!"

"Because you forced me to listen!"

"But how else are we supposed to bond as partners?"

"Will you stop calling us that?" She snapped her head to look at the glowing hero. "Why would we need to bond?"

"Alright, we may not be partners, but this is a dangerous mission. I need to know that you have my back, and I want you to know the same. We need to know each other, at least a little. Don'tcha think?"

Nightshade was quiet for a minute or two, seeming to evaluate YD. She looked her up and down, as if she was meeting her for the first time. Without saying a word, she turned around and resumed walking through the tunnels. Yang thought that was the end of it.

"Yes." The small response echoed across the tunnel walls.

"What?"

"Yes. I have… Someone special to me… no matter how hard I try to repress it."

"Why would you do that?"

"It's just as you said, our line of work is dangerous. I don't want to get her wrapped up in all of this."

"So, what? You are just gonna give up on her just because you are afraid?"

"No! She just deserves a normal life! A better one than I could give her."

"That's dumb!"

"Excuse me?"

"If you love her-"

"I-I never said I loved her!" She hollered facing YD again. Even with the low light of the tunnel, Yang could still see the deep blush that betrayed her true feelings.  _Oh, she's got it bad. She really loves this girl._

"Alright. If you CARE about this girl," She played along. "Then you would do anything to make it work and she would be able to handle whatever your hero life would throw at her."

"It's not that simple."

"No, you're just making it too complicated."

Nightshade started picking up the pace, but Yellow Dragon was right on her heels.

"Is this about Raging Bull? How he turned evil and all that? I mean, no one saw that coming. And the fact that he just started straight up murdering people? Man, when I heard he killed that couple I-"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" Shrieked Nightshade. She had made a 180 turn and was now up in YD's face. Yang took a step back and saw that behind her fury there was… hurt. She saw some tears bubbling up in the corners of her amber eyes.

"I…. I'm sorry… That was… I'm sorry…"

Nightshade simply pivoted back around and kept walking down the path.

"I…" YD heard her say softly. "I saw it coming."

 _You really have a knack for putting your foot in your mouth around this girl, don'tcha Yang?_ She thought.

**XxXxX**

That was the second time she fully blew up at Yellow Dragon. But the girl was frustrating and… accidentally perceptive? Was that it? Even though she was upset, she knew that the hero harbored no malicious intent. She did see it fit to pester her, poking fun whenever she got the chance. She was cocky and seemed to thrive off of Nightshade's reaction's. Yes she was obnoxious and annoying and loud, but each time she really set Blake off, it was never purposeful. The girl simply did not know how to keep her mouth shut.

Except now. Now she was far too quiet for comfort.

Maybe she had been too harsh. She might have pried a little too much into her life, but she seemed to want to… help Blake? A small smile crept onto her lips when she thought about how the hero had been so willing to spill her guts about this girl she had fallen for. That kind of honesty and openness in the lives they led was… refreshing. And how she had manage to get Blake to divulge about Yang (nothing specific, naturally) was beyond her. It had taken at least a year to tell Adam a sliver about her civilian life, half a year after that to tell him who she was. What was she doing telling a girl she just met about such personal things. She should know better by now.

After all, that night that he…  _That_ night should have proven this point to her.

"You know," Blake heard Yellow Dragon speak from behind her. Her voice was meek, seeming far more timid than her usual big bravado. "You saved us once. Me and my si….. My sibling."

"You really shouldn't even be giving away that you have a sibling, you know."

"Paranoid much?" YD scoffed. "That's why I said 'sibling' instead of brother or sister... Buttface."

Blake couldn't help but chuckle at the last minute childish insult she slung at her.

"Anyways, my… sibling and I… We've kinda been on our own for a while. It's just been the two of us, doing the best we could. And one night, someone… someone tried to attack us. The guy jumped us in a back alley, we didn't see it coming. I… hadn't realized my powers yet. And then, you swooped in. Just you. And just like that, bam! The sucker hit the ground hard. You asked us if we were ok and went on your way."

"I-"

"And before you say that this will give my identity away, there is no way you can possibly remember every single person you have ever saved. I just wanted to let you know that…. You had an impact on people's lives. Probably more so for…. My sibling, but still." She interjected. "I don't know who you are, or what you have dealt with, or any of that junk. But I know that you are a hero and that comes with problems that the normal people don't think of. And I get that, it's a struggle each day and we are left with no one to talk to. We are beloved, but…. Alone."

"... Dragon."

"So I guess, it's nice? You know, talking with someone who… gets it?" YD elaborated. "I kind of hoped that you would feel the same? I've never had a partner before- NOT that we are partners or anything, before you flip out again. I just wanted to give you this, this freedom to speak freely under a mask. Like the internet, but less creepy."

"Are you sure about that last part?"

"Ouch! After that heartfelt speech?  _Mew_  wound me?"

"You have used that same joke at least three times, you know. I'm beginning to think you've just run out of cat puns."

"What? I am NEVER out of puns on any given subject! You are just a  _lion_ over there."

"Uuuuugggh."

"Did that one  _paw_ sitively kill you? Did you go to  _purrrr_ gatory?"

"I regret everything!"

Yellow Dragon laughed. It sounded off the walls of the tunnels like a choir entirely comprised of awkward sea lions. But it was nice to hear. It made Blake feel at ease. So much so that she joined in the laughter, adding her own seagull-like laugh to the mix.

What an awkward cacophony of sound they made. Good thing no one was around to hear it.

**XxXxX**

"Yeah, they found the tunnel." The green haired girl spoke softly into her phone. "Junior's men were useless as expected. Luckily, I took the liberty of erasing the big guy's tracks. Honestly, he was supposed to be discreet about the kidnapping. Ugh, this is just a mess now."

Someone on the other end spoke. She listened, rolling her crimson eyes and twirling the ends of her hair in her free hand.

"Yeah, yeah I know. Can't pass up that opportunity, now can we."

The voice seemed to ask Emerald a question.

"Yeah, they are just laughing. Weird, right? Wait, you got something out of the girl? What did she say?"

The voice on the other end went on explaining the new development. This time, Emerald was paying full attention. Her lips curled into a small, but dark smile.

"I understand. I will attend to that tonight. Emerald out." The green haired girl stated as she ended the call. "Well well well. Yang Xiao Long. Looks like you will be receiving a visit tonight."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys like cliffhangers?


	8. The Late Night Visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They say that nothing good happens after a certain time in the night. This may be true in some cases, but our heroes may discover that not everything that goes bump in the night is sinister.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Blue again! Thank you for your continued support of this story. We're at the half way point! I have a feeling you all will enjoy this one (or at least I hope you do). It's... something alright. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think of the story so far. Enjoy the Bees!

_I have no idea how she does this every night._ Yang thought as she stomped up the steps, sluggish with sleep. She was convinced that Nightshade was either nocturnal or didn't sleep at all. After another night of hero work that involved treading through a dark tunnel, all they learned was that the tunnels did in fact lead to the spot where Ruby had been taken. Something they already knew from just talking to Junior. And she had managed to insert her foot into her mouth once again. She was tired of saying the wrong thing to the girl, she was tired of following clues that felt like they went no where. But in this moment, she was mostly just tired in general.

Weiss was not up waiting for her this time, a sight that made Yang very happy. And not just because it meant that the blonde could avoid another one of Weiss' lectures (though that was a perk.) but it meant that she was finally getting some rest. She had probably exhausted herself trying to figure this all out. She even took a break from her work at her father's company, something very un-Weiss-like. Still, Yang didn't believe it was an entirely bad thing. One less thing for her to worry about… Just so she could obsess over something else… Maybe she should talk to Weiss about that later.

Yang sloppily grasped at the door handle, gripping as best as she could. She twisted and pushed the handle, letting the door swing open. She entered her room, ready to sleep on her own personal cloud nine. However, when she heard the door click behind her without her doing and felt another foreign presence, she knew that was not going to be an option.

"Yang Xiao Long. How nice it is to meet you." She heard come from behind her. When she turned around, she was greeted by a person she had only heard about. A villain named Miss Direction (yeah, Yang thought it was a stupid name too) was leaned against her door, foot propped up against it. She had to be the girl that Junior was talking about. She had mint green hair and blood red eyes, overflowing with mischief. She wore simple clothes, oddly enough; a off white tank top tucked into a high waisted pair of army green cargo pants and black flats with a little buckle on the top. Her mask looked like a simple scrap of olive green cloth that had holes cut and sewn into it simply so she could see. It was smart though, she didn't attract much attention this way. But despite that, Yang had to admit that Junior was right, much to her chagrin. She truly was a beauty.

"Can't say the same about you." Yang bit back. Good looking or not, she was still an intruder AND a villain.

"Oof, we've got a brave one here. Better be careful kid, you're dealing with a super villain here." she warned with a touch of amusement.

"I'm not a kid and I would hardly call you a  _super_  villain. You're just the lackey to the REAL super villains." Yang spat back. Miss Direction bristled at that. She was always seen as the underling to Ember Arrow, the most notorious super villain to ever come to Vale… Well besides the whole thing with Raging Bull. Miss Direction followed whatever Ember Arrow commanded like a love sick puppy. It was pathetic in Yang's opinion. She was jus-

"OOF!" Yang yelped as MD closed the distance between them and sucker punched her in her abdomen.

"Still super enough to beat up insolent fools like you." MD told her. "Still, should have expected this. After all, I've heard a lot about you."

Yang's blood ran cold. Did she know who she was? This was bad. She pretended that the punch hurt more than it did to appear 'normal', but would that be enough?

"Oh yeah? Ya get groceries at Vale-mart often?" Yang asked, a smirk appearing on her face. If she knew where she lived, she most likely knew about her day job. Hopefully JUST her day job.

"No, I don't think so. Hmmmm, how do I know you?" She hummed, putting a finger on her chin as if she was in deep thought. "Ah! Yes! Someone told me about you recently. Someone named….. Ruby Rose."

Yang's blood went from ice cold to boiling hot in two seconds. She pounced on the girl, grabbing for anything she could get a grip on. But when she tried, all she grasped was air. Soft laughter came from behind her.  _Damn illusions!_ Yang thought as she whipped around to face MD again.

"Woah, easy there tiger! Someone's a little testy tonight."

"Where is she?"

"Safe… for now." Miss Direction told her coolly.

"What do you want? Why did you take her?" Yang asked through gritted teeth. She slowly stepped around her, not getting any closer. She wasn't going to risk going after her again, unable to tell if this was another illusion.

"Well, we were gonna use her to extort the ice bitch for a small fortune. Buuuuut… plans have changed." She told Yang, matching the girl's circling movement.

"'We' meaning Ember Arrow?"

"Not exactly. I'm working under…. A new 'associate'."

"Oh, finally stepping away from mommy's skirt?"

Yang felt a kick make contact with her shin.

"AH! DAMMIT!"

"Better be careful, little miss sunshine. I was told not to kill you, but that doesn't mean I can't rough you up a bit. So watch your step!"

"Aren't you worried about alerting the security?"

"Pssh, please. Tricking them takes little to no mental effort."

"What do you want?"

"I," Miss Direction pulled Yang's chin up. "Want you to give someone a message."

"A…. Message? What message?" she asked, violently pulling her head away from the villain's hand.

"Well…. It's partially a… Visual message." she told her as she punched Yang in the gut once again. She fell to her knees, not needing to fake a reaction this time. "But my… Associate has a verbal one for a 'friend' of yours."

Miss Direction leaned in close to Yang's ear.

"Tell Blake Belladona that Raging Bull is back and eager to see her again."

**XxXxX**

_Who in the world is knocking this late at night?_  Blake thought. She cursed her superb hearing. She wished that she had been like anyone else and slept through the incessant knocking. She had just gotten to sleep too. It had been such a long night looking for clues with Yellow Dragon. And it ended… well, it didn't end too bad in Blake's opinion. Yeah, they didn't make the large strides forward that they thought they would. And Yellow Dragon still had that uncanny ability to say the right thing to make Blake kick herself even more. But the hero was certainly… interesting.

She was simultaneously proving and defying Blake's expectations of her, something that baffled the dark-haired hero. She was brash and loud and didn't think about what she was doing half the time. But she also saw a kind and sweet side to her. A side that genuinely wanted to help. A side that every hero needed, in Blake's opinion. And oh her laugh. It was so goofy and unbridled. So full of unabashed joy, it made the dark-haired girl actually want to see her again, even with everything she had said before.

Woah, where did that come from. Must be lack of sleep.

Blake pushed those thoughts down and pressed on in her quest to find out who thinks it is ok to knock on someone's door this late at night. However, whatever tongue lashing she had prepared to give out dissipated as she took in who was on the other side of the door.

She didn't have to wait any longer to see her, because Yellow Dragon was the one who thought it would be ok to knock on someone's door this late at night.

 _Of course she would._ Blake thought.

"I… Hi… Um, can I help you?"

"H-hi! I'm sorry to wake you up so late in the night but it's… kind of urgent." Yellow Dragon told her, her face laden with poorly-concealed worry.

"Sure!"

"Can I come in?"

"Oh, I'm sorry! Yeah." Blake told her. She stepped to the side and allowed the hero to hobble in. She had clearly been hurt recently. No visible bruises or cuts, but the way she gingerly crept into her abode told her as much. She was sure that she hadn't gotten hurt when they fought Junior's men. Something must have happened in between then and now. Blake had to remind herself that she did not know this information though, Nightshade did. Gotta play it cool.

"Are you alright?"

"Eh, been better." YD laughed, but grimaced at the pain it caused. "Don't worry about me, I heal fast. I'm actually here on behalf of a friend of yours, she's a bit worried about you."

"Friend?" Blake asked. Could she be talking about...

"Well, ya see. I'm working on that missing person case, Ruby Rose? You know her, don'tcha?"

"Yes."

"Well me and... Uh, the person I am working with are trying to find her and keep her and her loved ones safe." YD explained. Blake was happy to hear that she wasn't broadcasting the fact that she was working with Nightshade. It made her feel like she was more… trustworthy than she thought.

"Ok."

"And well, I'm here on behalf of Yang. Yang Xiao Long? You two work together, yeah?"

"Yes! Yes we do. Is she ok? Did something happen?"

"Um, well." Dragon looked off to the side and seated herself in one of Blake's chairs. "You should probably have a seat."

"Oh Oum! Is she gone too? Or… is… is she de… dea-" Blake couldn't finish her sentence, her eyes brimming with tears. Her heart beat so fast, she was afraid that it would crack a rib.

"What? No! No, she's fine!" Backpedaled YD. "Oh, I'm sorry. She just… had an encounter recently." Blake slumped into the chair across from the blonde hero. She buried her head into her hands and rubbed her face for a couple seconds.

"Oh, thank goodness." The dark-haired girl sighed. "What happened?"

"Miss Direction showed up in her room a little while ago. Roughed her up a bit. She's lucky that I was tasked with making sure she was safe. As you can see, I did not get away unscathed, but nothing to worry about." She smiled warmly at Blake. It was much softer than the smiles she had seen as Nightshade. She liked them.

Blake, focus.

"So why did Miss Direction show up?"

"She is part of the group that took Yang's sister, Ruby."

"So she visited her to send a message."

"Exactly."

"Alright, then… why come to me?" Blake asked. Yellow Dragon looked away again and fluffed some of her soft golden locks.

"This is why I told you that you should sit down. The message was for you."

"Me?"

"Yes. Yang told me that she was supposed to tell you that," Yellow Dragon stopped. It was as if she was preparing herself for what she had to say next. "That 'Raging Bull is back and eager to see you again'."

Everything stopped. Her mind. Her heart. Her body. Everything. She couldn't even process what the hero was trying to say to her now.

Adam. It couldn't be Adam. It just couldn't. He was dead. She SAW him die. No one could have survived that explosion on the train. Did his power kick in at the last minute? She didn't think that that could even save HIM in that situation.

But he was back, there was no doubt about it. And now, she had people she cared about again. That means that whatever happened to Ruby was her fault entirely. Ada- No, Raging Bull was going to do it again. He was going to take everything she loved. And there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it. Just like last time.

Blake started hyperventilating, she could not intake oxygen fast enough. There was no escape from him. No reprieve. No hope. No happy ending. No-

"Blake!" A voice finally broke through. Yellow Dragon knelt right by the side of her chair and had taken her hands in hers. "Can you hear me now?"

A nod.

"Good. Now I need you to breathe for me, ok? Slowly and deeply."

Another nod and Blake started to manually breathe.

"In, one, two, three. Hold it. Out, one, two, three." YD instructed softly. She had risen from her kneeling position to sit on the arm of Blake's chair. She had begun massaging small, soft circles into her back. "Better?"

"I… He can't… He's DEAD!" Was all that Blake could manage in response.

"We don't know for sure that he is back."

"He is! He has to be! Why else would he go for Ya-" She cut herself off. "He destroys everything! We're not safe, no one is safe! I-"

"Breathe, Blake." Yellow Dragon shushed again. "You're safe, I promise I-"

"You CAN'T promise that!" She bit back. "You don't know him, you don't know what he has done!" Yellow Dragon moved her hand away, surprised at her outburst. But took Blake's hands once more and pleaded.

"Then help me understand. I can't help you if I don't know what is going on."

"He'll… He'll come after her. He'll, He'll-"

"Calm down Blake, everything will be ok. How did you get wrapped up in all of this?"

"It's… A long story… One that I can't tell."

"Alright, then… What did he do?"

Blake was brought back to that night. The blood. The yelling, screaming. All the tears she shed. Blake, on her knees, begging, conceding to his every wish, only for him to…

"I-it's ok, you don't have to answer that one." Yellow Dragon told her. Blake hadn't even realized that she had begun crying until the hero was wiping her tears away from her eyes. She looked into her scarlet eyes and found something so… familiar. She reminded her of another blonde that had lilac eyes instead. They even had a similar warm smile, one that made Blake melt into a puddle.

Blake needed the warmth. She needed the sunshine. She needed the loved that shone through those lips. And in a moment of weakness, Blake leaned up, pulled the hero down, and stole some of that sunshine from her lips. Dragon seemed to stiffen at the sudden intimate contact at first, but soon eased into the kiss, deepening it with fervor and passion. It was almost as if she wanted this as much as Blake had. Actually no. It was as if she wanted it more than Blake had. She shouldn't be doing this, it was wrong. But damn, as cliche as it sounded, it felt so right to her. She wondered if kissing Yang would be as goo-

 _Blake, stop!_ A voice screamed inside of her.

She pulled away quickly, gasping for air.

"I-I'm so sorry Bla-... erm… Miss. Belladonna?"

Blake quirked an eyebrow at her sudden formal language, but let it slip without commenting.

"No… No that was me. I apologize. I-"

"Please don't apologize. I understand." YD told her. She then rose and knelt down once again, but in front of her this time. "Listen, I know you are scared, but I won't let anything happen to you."

"How can you be sure?"

"Come on, I'm a superhero! I beat up chumps and protect the citizens of Vale all the time."

"He's not just any chump."

"Maybe, but he's never faced me before. He won't know what hit'em!" YD grinned her trademark cocky grin. The raven-haired girl smiled at it. The smile used to simply annoy her. But now, in only a few days, the grin had grown on her.

Or maybe it wasn't just the grin.

Yellow Dragon got to her feet and clapped her gloved hands together.

"Alright, I have to go and sle-...I mean, protect the citizens!" Said Dragon, walking towards Blake's window.

"You could just go out the front door again." Blake told her, gesturing to said door.

"Eh, what's the fun in that?" YD said, already perched on her window sill.

"You are still injured though."

"You think that's gonna stop me? Naw. Goodnight, fair lady." She said. She then winked and leapt out of her window.

Blake kept her eyes trained on the window that the hero had just gone through. She put a hand up to her lips where the hero had just kissed her. How had her life become so complicated in only a few days.


	9. Sidewalks and Rooftops

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Push and pull. Our heroes keep circling around each other in this dance they do. But where some areas of their lives lack, others make up for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Blue again! Wowie, y'all really seemed to like that last chapter. I hope you enjoy this one too. This is a bit of a lighter one in comparison to the next one, so be prepared for that. Thanks for all the comments. Leave another to let me know what you think. Enjoy the Bees!

"I am such an idiot." Yang voiced out loud for what had to be the thirty-second time since she left Blake's apartment. It was six in the morning and the blonde knew that there was no way she was getting to bed now. Not even on her heavenly bed. She couldn't stop thinking about Blake, the way her lips pressed against hers, so desperate and scared. Of all the different ways she imagined her first kiss with the raven-haired girl (and there were many) she never thought that would be how it went down. She felt so bad, like she had taken advantage of her. She never meant to do that. Blake may have initiated it, but Yang reciprocated. Very passionately, in fact.

And now she had to see her at work. This was gonna be a tough day.

She sorted out in her head what she was and wasn't supposed to know. Yang knew that there was a connection between Raging Bull and Blake. Yang didn't know that Blake's lips tasted like mint and a touch of lemon...

Dammit, this was hard. The more Yang thought about it, the more confused she was. She thought that Blake might have feelings for her. She thought that there was some glimmer of hope. But then why did she kiss Yellow Dragon? Yes they were one in the same, but she did not know this… Unless she did? No, if she did, she wouldn't have been so worried about Yang. At least that's a good sign. She seemed genuinely scared when she thought that something might have happened to Yang.

But she kissed Dragon. Why? She knew that she didn't really hold her in high regard. Every time she tried to test the waters by bringing her alter ego up in the past, Blake always seemed unimpressed or critiqued her methods. Maybe she was a secret super hero geek like Ruby? No, Yang didn't think that that was it. But when she let her into her apartment, she didn't seem too annoyed by her presence. What changed, then?

Yang's head hurt. And she had to get up for work soon.

Today was gonna be REALLY tough.

**XxXxX**

"Have a good one." The blonde stated slowly. She lacked the oomf and enthusiasm that she normally exuded. Blake had been watching her carefully today, trying to gage her emotional state after last night. She did get attacked after all. In her own room, no less. A total invasion. Blake had seen it before. Most people usually got paranoid or shaky.

Yang did not exhibit these signs. She was more sluggish, if anything. She probably didn't get a wink of sleep last night. That was the other reaction she was used to. People didn't feel safe in their own homes, so they tried to remain vigilant in case of an attack. The flaw in this logic was that they couldn't defend themselves if they didn't even have the energy to do anything.

Blake wanted to ask the blonde how she was, but decided to wait until the end of their shifts. When they could speak more privately. It was not a conversation she really wanted to have, but one that she needed to have. She caused this, she needed to live with the guilt. Even if it meant that Yang hated her after the trouble she caused her. Even if it meant Yang wanted nothing more to do with her. She would be fine with that. She had been trying to distance herself all along. If the girl finally gave up on her, she would be safe.

After they brought Ruby back of course.

She'd cut ties again. Move somewhere else. She remade her life before, she could do it again.

_I should probably tell Yellow Dragon that I'm leaving at the end of this mission. I shouldn't just disappear on her._  Blake thought. Wait, why did she care if she knows what happened to her? Try as she might to deny it, she had grown to enjoy the hero's company, as dorky as she could be. But after last night, how can she face her knowing that she had kissed her as Blake. Oh Oum, and she is in love with someone too!  _I really screwed things up!_  Blake thought. She knew that Dragon was struggling with this girl already. Now she just added extra baggage on top of that. Way to go, Belladonna.

"Blake!" A low elderly voice spoke from behind her.

"Huh?" She turned around and saw her manager looking at her sternly. "Oh, I'm sorry, I zoned out. I'll go recover the-"

"No, Blake. It's time for you to leave." He told her, pointing to the time on her register. Wow, where did the time go? "Something happen? Both you and Yang seem really out of sorts today."

"I'm fine, just lost in thought. And Yang… Well I think she has a lot going on in her life.

He hummed at that.

"Well take care of yourselves ok? And let me know if I can help in any way."

Blake smiled at the old man. He was such a kind soul, always looking out for his employees. This was one of the things that kept her in Vale, people like him.

And Yang.

"Blake." A voice called from behind her. Yang had already put on her coat and was ready to leave. She had her backpack slung over one shoulder and was holding Blake's coat and bag in her other arm. "I grabbed your stuff for ya."

"T-thank you." She said, a bit taken back by the small kindness Yang displayed.

Shouldn't she hate her?

After retrieving her things from Yang and putting them on, the two walked out of the store in silence. As always, Yang was the first to break it.

"So, how about we switch things up a bit. How about I walk you home instead?" Said Yang, trying to sound jovial. But it sounded more like concern. She was concerned about Blake?

"Why?"

"I just thought that it's only fair, ya know. You've been walking me back all these times, I should return the favor."

"Yang?"

"Yeah?"

"Is this about last night?"

A pause.

"Yes."

Blake looked down at her feet.

"Yang… I am so sorry."

"Blake, stop. You-"

"No, you must feel so… violated. You obviously haven't slept at all, Yang."

"Well, yeah. But it's not beca-"

"I'm sorry, this is all my-"

"Stop that! You have nothing to apologize for."

Blake lifted her head and made eye contact with Yang.

"What are you talking about, of course I do! You should HATE me, Yang! It's my fault that you were attacked! It's my fault that Ruby-"

"No! It's not!" Yang yelled back. She sighed. "She told me that they first took her to extort money out of Weiss. But that isn't the case anymore, apparently. Now I don't know what connection you have to Raging Bull and you don't have to tell me a damn thing if you don't want to. But I'm still concerned about you, ok? I want to make sure you're safe! I want to protect you!"

"Protect me? I don't need protection Yang, you do!" Blake bit back. Blake was the actual super hero here, what made Yang think she would stand a chance against someone like Raging Bull.

"I can assure you that I can take care of myself!"

"No you can't! Why do you think I've been walking you back these past couple of days? I was only doing it to make sure no one jumped you on the way back!"

Yang's eyes widened at her statement and Blake wished that she could take it back. Yang cast her gaze downwards. Her golden bangs fell in front of her eyes, but Blake saw a couple tears roll down her face.

"Oh… I thought that… You actually wanted to spend time with me." Her voice cracked a bit with emotion. "I guess I was wrong...How silly of me… to think something like that." A sad grin appeared on her face.

"Yang, I di-"

"You're right, you don't need me to walk you home. You'll be fine. And me… I'll be fine too. I don't need you to walk me home. So you don't need to feel obligated anymore."

She turned in the opposite direction and slowly trudged forward. Blake wanted to scream for her to come back. To tell her that she was sorry. To tell her that she didn't mean it. She wanted to catch up to Yang and walk her home again. To hold her hand the whole way. She wanted to accept all of those offers she made. She wanted to see Yang fail at cooking again. To be covered in extinguisher fluid again.

She wanted to kiss her.

She did none of this. She just stood there, watching what was quite possibly the love of her life walk away from her. Hurt and dejected. Because of her. She just watched, not even registering the tears that started to spill down her own cheeks as well.

_It was for the best._ She lied to herself.  _This way she would be safe._

When she could no longer see the girl, she turned around and headed home.

She knew it would end this way. So why did it still hurt so much?

**XxXxX**

Yang arrived at the rendezvous point as Yellow Dragon, and sat on the edge of the roof, letting her boots dangle about lazily. She stared out at the view. The sun was just setting; a cascade of oranges, purples and pinks flowed from the horizon and painted the clouds with their brilliant hues. It was certainly a sight most would deem spectacular, especially from Yang's altitude. But Yang could find no beauty in it. All she saw was a dying day.

How could she be so stupid. How could she be so blind. When she heard about her connection to Raging Bull, she had thought that that must have been the reason she had pushed her away. But now she knew the truth.

The truth was that she didn't share the same feelings for her. Yang felt like such a fool. All those advances she made, all the flirting, all the teasing and banter they had. It meant nothing. It only made Blake feel… uncomfortable. Maybe if Yang had only told her how she felt earlier, it wouldn't hurt this much now. She told herself that she would be fine with just being close friends.

But it still hurt. Knowing that this girl she had fallen for would never feel the same. She even kissed another woman, for Oum's sake (Yes, it was still Yang, but Blake wouldn't have known that). She would probably never kiss her ever again.

"You're early." Said the dark hero, taking a seat next to Yellow Dragon.

"Yeah."

"We were supposed to meet at ten, you know? It's only six."

"I know."

"You seem… Down."

"Really? Do I now?" YD snipped. She turned to face Nightshade, expecting to see the cynical girl with a scowl plastered on her face. Instead, the dark hero seemed worried. Genuinely worried. "Sorry. Bad day."

"Me too."

"Oh yeah? Were your chances with your 'special someone' ruined in one fell swoop?"

"... Actually, yes."

"Oh." Yang said. She wasn't expecting that. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

"It's fine. It's for the best."

"Nightshade. Did you push her away?"

When the dark-haired girl did not respond, Yang groaned.

"Niiiiiiightshaaaaade. What did I tell you?"

"That you never run out of puns?"

"Before that."

"That you grow on people? Like moss?"

"After that!" Yang started laughing.

"Ok, you talk a lot! Forgive me if I don't record everything you say, oh wise one."

"I said that you should do anything you can to make it work, and trust that she will be able to handle anything your alter ego's life has to throw at you. I mean, you said that you're out of the hero game after this right? What do you have to worry about?"

_Oh wait. Raging Bull. I forgot to tell her. I need to break that news to her._ Yang thought.

"What about Raging Bull? Now that he's back I-"

Wait, what?

"Woah, woah. How did you know about that?"

Nightshade paled at the question.

"Well, it's like I said before. Y-you have your sources, I have mine." Nightshade told her, averting her gaze.

"Alright, but you seem pretty… calm about this."

"I've had time to process it."

"Mhm, alright" Yang told her, dripping with skepticism.

"How come I didn't figure it out till now though. We used to share a bond, after all."

"A bond?" Yang asked "Like a partnership thing?"

"We shared aura."

"Woah what?" exclaimed the blonde. "You can do that? How? What does it do?" She swung her feet up and turned to face her not-partner fully, sitting cross-legged.

"Right, you're still new to the superhero game. Well, we can share aura. When two people are in complete sync and trust, they can share some of their aura with the other person. It grants them the ability to use the other's power while in their presence. The only thing is that it changes from person to person. Raging Bull wasn't able to turn into a panther like me. But because of his personality and power, he was able to turn into-"

"A bull. I always wondered how he was able to do that after a while. Did you get his absorbing power?"

"Yes, but only when I was transformed."

"Oh man that is cool! Why doesn't everyone do that?"

"Because you have to be in complete sync with the other person. And you have to completely trust that they won't just steal your aura and leave you with nothing." Explained the dark hero. "If you just give, and have nothing to fill the void, it will most certainly kill you. Some partners have done that unintentionally. One was dying, so they poured aura into them to save their life. But the other was too weak to reciprocate. Often times, they both wind up dead."

"That's dark."

"That's reality. That's why people don't do it."

"Right, I forgot I was talking to the queen of cynicism." YD said, rolling her eyes. "If it's so dangerous, then why did you do it?"

Nightshade looked out to the horizon. The blonde followed her view for a moment. The sun had almost set, just a glimmer of gold peaked out. The pinks, purples, and oranges were being chased away by the deep blue of the nighttime sky.

"We were young. We didn't understand the gravity of what we did. And I trusted him, I trusted him completely back then." She said distantly. "I shouldn't have."

"...Nightshade."

"Alright, enough of that. We were talking about your issues, not mine."

"Nightshade: master of evasion."

Nightshade turned her gaze back to Yellow Dragon and glared at her through squinted eyes.

"Anyways, I thought you didn't want to hear about personal things?" YD asked.

"I don't, but you won't be functional if you can't talk about it, right? The person you usually talk to still isn't around?"

"Yeah."

"Then spill. What happened? I thought you said things were going well."

"I thought they were. But it turns out she doesn't like me at all."

"Hmm."

"What, no sarcastic 'what a surprise' from you?"

"What makes you think she doesn't like you?"

"She was only wal-... hanging out with me because she felt like she had to. Vague enough for you?"

"Why do you say that?"

"She literally told me so!" Yang exclaimed, raising both hands in the air in frustration.

"And why does that mean that she doesn't feel the same? Didn't you say she had a habit of pushing people away? Take it from someone who has that same problem… take it from someone who just did something like that… it might not mean what you think."

"I… Well… She didn't actually… I mean, she still seemed like she enjoyed it… but… Uuuuugh, my head hurts." Yellow Dragon complained, burying her head into her hands at the last part.

"I figured it would." Nightshade grinned.

"There's the sass! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I actually kind of missed it."

"Oh, I have plenty left, don't worry. You may have an endless supply of puns, but I have an endless supply of sass."

And once again, the two girls found themselves bursting into uncontrollable laughter. Once that had died down, they took note of the time. They still had a couple hours before they were supposed to meet up and investigate. They could have started earlier. They did not do this, though. They chose to just talk. Nothing as heavy as what they had been talking about. Trivial little conversations, really. But Yang found herself almost… enamoured by the dark hero. She wasn't so bad once she actually let her guard down a bit.

She started taking note of things she would do while she was talking. She fiddled with the raven tresses around her human ear, pushing them back every minute or so. Her golden eyes darted about when talking, but when they locked with hers, it sent shivers down her spine. The intensity was so great, her heart would beat faster upon eye contact. She noticed how her feline appendages flicked ever so slightly when speaking and even more so when she was listening. She wondered if there would be a point where she could tell what Nightshade was feeling by merely looking at her cat ears. That would be pretty cool.

Yang was then reminded that this was only a temporary arrangement. Nightshade wanted out. And she respected that. But part of her was sad that she would no longer have a sassy not-partner after this whole ordeal was dealt with. She wanted to get to know the girl more. Spend more time with her. Help her. Heal her. Hold her.

_Woah, woah, slow down there!_ She told herself. But she couldn't help it. She knew that she loved Blake, but something drew her to Nightshade too. She wondered when these feelings had started to emerge. Maybe it was the dark, mysterious, stand-offish vibe she gave off.

And it was official. No denying it anymore.

Yang most DEFINITELY had a type.


	10. Leverage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weaknesses. Everyone has at last one or two. For some, people may be their weakness. For others, the past they have tried so hard to escape. But what happens when you push it too far. Do they fold, or turn that weakness into strength?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Blue here! I'm feeling nice (or not so nice depending on how you react to this chapter) and thought I would put up this chapter a bit early. Warning though, as I mentioned before, this chapter is rough. Blood and violence (not excessive amounts, but I still thought that this was necessary). 
> 
> And thank you for all of your support! I'm so happy to see some familiar usernames in the comments. Thanks for following this journey! Let me know what you think of this one. Enjoy the bees.

Two days ago.

Ruby still didn't understand what they wanted. She sat in the chair and waited, knowing that Raging Bull would be back to ask more questions. First, he started asking about Nightshade. Ruby told him all she knew (Which to be fair, was pretty extensive due to her love for the hero). But after she had relayed it all to him, he grabbed the arms of her chair and shook it with rage.

He told her that he didn't want the information that you could learn from reading the back of a trading card. He demanded she tell him the connection they had. Ruby had wanted to tell him that even if she did know her, she wouldn't tell him a thing. She wanted to, but she didn't. As scary and upsetting as this might be, she needed to be careful. This hero-

This man-

This monster had killed people before. If she didn't choose her words wisely, she could be next. Sure she was valuable now, but for how long.

He stepped back into the room, a smile on his face.

"Ok, Ruby. I'm willing to believe that you don't actually know Nightshade. I'm willing to believe that you are just some Nightshade fan." Raging Bull told her, his voice was eerily calm. "Were you a fan of me too, huh?"

"Before you went crazy."

"I did not go crazy." He said. He walked behind her chair, hands folded behind his back as he sauntered about the room. "I merely saw the flaw in the hero system. I saw the light. And I am much happier now."

He was far too calm for Ruby's liking. She tried to careen her head enough to keep an eye on him, but found she could not do that from her position.

"You killed people."

"Only to make a point! It's not like I went on a murderous rampage. I had motives."

"Sounds like something a crazy person would say."

Raging Bull rushed up behind her, grabbed her hair and forcibly yanked her head back. Ruby yelped at the sudden pull.

"If I was a psycho, you'd be covered head to toe in blood by now." He whispered in her ear, followed by low chuckling. He pushed her head down again, almost knocking her and the chair down with the force of it. "Watch your tongue, or it might have to come out."

"What do you want from me? I've answered all of your questions."

"Well I've got more, now that I understand what I'm dealing with here."

The spiky-haired man stepped in front of Ruby and stared her down through his bone mask.

"Why don't you tell me a little about yourself, hmmm?"

"What?" Ruby asked. What was he playing at.

"I want to get to know you. Get to know who's… close to you. Who you know. Perhaps we have some friends in common."

Did he want leverage? Was that it?

"If you think for a second I'm gonna tell you anything about my friends or family, you are d- Ooof!"

Ruby was interrupted by a strong punch to the left side of her face. She didn't attempt to move her head back up, too focused on trying to block out the harsh throbbing that started to spread along her face. When she did look up, Raging Bull was still calm.

"What did I say about talking back?"

"Wasn't really talking back…"

Another punch to the other side of her face. This time, Ruby could taste blood. She felt it drip down the corner of her mouth. It was in that moment that a thought occurred to her. It was a thought that crossed her mind many times before. Most times, the thought made her weep at night. It scared her. But this time, oddly enough, it empowered her. It made her feel like she had nothing to lose.

Ruby Rose came to terms with the fact that she might not make it out of here alive. Actually no. She was quite certain that she wouldn't make it out of here alive. She was only useful up to a certain point. And she knew that point hadn't come yet. Hopefully.

So why not give this guy a real hard time. So what if she had a few bruises. Those would heal. The pain this man inflicted on others, wouldn't. As an aspiring hero, Ruby could not just give in. She WAS strong.

"I bet… you feel so tough… huh? Beating up someone who can't even defend themselves…" Ruby egged him on. Raging Bull unleashed two more blows on her left side once again.

"Answer. The. Question." He seethed, coming mere inches away from her face.

"Go… To… Hell." She said, spitting blood in his face. His sneer grew as he jumped back in disgust. Ruby took a little pride in breaking through the calm exterior he had put on. Too bad it was overshadowed by the painful throbbing in her face.

But then, he started laughing. It started low, but built up to fill the room like an untuned violin. He turned back in a flash and let loose on Ruby. He began wailing on her, not limiting his hits to her face anymore. After a series of blows to her abdomen, he ceased his attack. Ruby bent over as far as the rope would allow her to and coughed up blood.

"Brave. You wanna be a hero? Pathetic." He scoffed. "Still feeling brave, huh? Still feel like talking back like that?"

Ruby remained silent.

"Good. Now, be a good girl, and tell me what I want to know. Who are you close to?"

_I can't… back down. Not now._ Ruby thought

"A… A... "

"'A?'" He leaned in to listen.

"A her…"

"What are you trying to say?" He yelled, frustration growing.

Ruby lifted her head, knowing that this could quite possibly be the last thing she would ever say. She tried to channel all her favorite heroes in this moment.

"A hero… never cowers in the face of evil." She told him. She looked up at him with a strong, determined smile.

She was sure that this was it. She had just put the last nail in her own coffin. The imposing figure stepped away from her, cracked the door open and signaled someone to come closer.

Ruby heard him say "Change of plans, kill her on schedule unless I tell you otherwise. Understood?"

"Understood." Came a low disciplined voice.

Ruby closed her eyes. She was right. She wasn't going to make it out of here. But she hadn't gone down without a fight. She hoped that Weiss and Yang would be proud of her. She hoped that they knew how brave she was. That she was a hero in the end. Maybe not a hero like Yellow Dragon or The Spartan, but a hero in her own regards. Tears flowed through her clenched eyes as she prepared herself for the end.

But… it didn't come.

She looked up at the villain in the room. He was just standing there, looking down at her with a confident smirk. As if he had won. Ruby was about to ask him what was going on, until the same evil laughter brewed.

"Did you think we were gonna kill you?" He asked. "You are the bargaining chip."

"Then what-"

"This," Raging Bull interrupted, holding up a phone. "Is a very special phone, Ruby Rose."

He walked closer to her chair.

"See, whenever someone calls the only number on this phone, someone dies." He explained. "All I have to do is hit call twice, and say 'do it'."

Why was he explaining this? Ruby shifted in her seat.

"But, this phone can also save lives. If there is a hit on someone, I can call them up seconds before the job is to be done and stop it all. One call to decide if they live or die."

He knelt down to eye level with Ruby.

"Now, I realize I can't kill you yet, and physical pain isn't quite cutting it. So how about I break it down for you." The red-haired villain told Ruby, leaning in way too close once again. "Tell me what I want to know or Weiss Schnee dies in thirty minutes."

The ropes tying her to her chair all of a sudden felt ten times tighter. She could not breathe.

"You… You're lying!" Ruby shouted, wide-eyed and shaking.

"Oh but I'm not. You may be ok with being a martyr, but how will you feel if you were the reason for the death of your family, hmm? The people you love most in this world."

No, no this was not happening. Why had it never occurred to her that they could do things to Weiss and Yang too. She was such an idiot!

"All it would take to stop it is one phone call." He shook the device in front of her face.

"Call it off! Call it off, please!"

"Eh eh eh, can't call it off for nothing. Tell me what I want to know."

"Uum, I… um." Ruby panicked, trying to recall his question. She knew she was adamant about not cooperating with him before, but in this moment, all she could think of was Weiss. How she could die and it would be all her fault. What was the last thing she said to her? Was it nice? Oum, she hoped it was nice.

"Who. are. You. Close to?" Raging Bull extrapolated. "Tick-tock. TICK-TOCK!"

"Um, I…. There's, Penny a-and Velvet. Jaune, Nora… uuuh.. I." Tears streamed furiously down her face as she tried to remember all these people she had grown close to over the years. She tried to spitball all of them as fast as she could, but none of them seemed to appease the man. He shook his head.

"Useless, useless, useless!" He shouted in her face. "Who else do you know?"

"I…. I don't… I don't know! Please don't kill her!" She begged him.

"Think! List names!"

"Uuuh, um… Pyrrha, R-ren, Blake-"

"Blake?"

"Uh, yeah. Blake…. Uuuh… Blake?"

"Belladonna?"

"Yes! Blake Belladonna!"

He took a step away from her chair and smiled.

"Alright, how do you know Blake?"

"C-can you call off the hit firs-"

"HOW do you know BLAKE?" He interrupted, closing the distance again and slamming his hands on the arms of her chair.

"Yang! Yang. I know her through Yang! They work together!"

"And what is the relationship between Blake and Yang?"

Ruby turned her head away from his face.

"They just… Work together."

Raging Bull grabbed her face and forced her to look at him.

"You are not a very good liar."

"They're friends?"

"Alright, that's it." He backed off and took out the phone. He tapped a button twice and held it to his ear.

"What are you doing?"

"Teaching you that your actions have consequences. I thought a 'hero' like you would have known that."

"You're… calling it off?"

"Actually, I'm telling them to do it earlier than planned."

"Wait! No! Please don't!"

"Then tell the truth! What is the nature of their relationship?"

"They're…" Ruby trailed off. If she told him that Yang had deep feelings for Blake, Ruby didn't know what they would do to her. But if she didn't, then Weiss was dead in mere minutes.

"Phone's ringing, you have until they pick up."

"Y-yang… she… cares for her deeply. She likes Blake a lot!" Ruby revealed.  _I'm sorry, Yang._ She thought. "That's all I know! Please, PLEASE, don't kill Weiss! I love her!"

"Very stupid, kid. If you actually wanted to be a hero, you wouldn't have fallen in love. It's only weakness."

"Please!... Please…" Ruby was sobbing at this point, terrified for her girlfriend's life.

Someone picked up the phone and the room felt like a vacuum, devoid of any noise. Raging Bull stared at Ruby, trying to determine if she was being honest or not. Ruby was staring right back, hoping to get through to him. What was only about ten seconds felt like an hour in that silence.

"Yeah… call off the job, for now. She talked."

Ruby let out a ragged breath, shuddering and shaking. She wanted to puke, but figured that they probably wouldn't clean it up for a while and she did not want to sit in her own sick for hours on end.

"See, now wasn't that easier?" He said as he tousled her hair. He turned off the light as he exited the room, as if nothing of consequence had happened at all. The door had closed, but she still heard the last thing that he had said.

"I need to make a call to Emerald. She should have some fun with this."

**XxXxX**

Present

Yellow Dragon and Nightshade were unfortunately not able to find any clues that night, but Blake didn't think it was a waste of her time. She found that Yellow Dragon wasn't exactly what she seemed. Everyone saw her as this confident, proud and headstrong hero, ready to take any task on. But that was just one layer, they only saw the surface, such is the case for most heroes. Underneath it, Yellow Dragon was just as unsure as anyone. She had struggles and didn't always know what she was doing.

Though she had been resistant about the hero revealing such sensitive information about her life (that could put her in danger), Blake found that it put her at ease. And because of that, she felt more comfortable telling her things that she might not tell others. It was refreshing being able to talk to someone. She hadn't felt this free under the mask in a long time.

And while things with Yellow Dragon were actually going well, things with Yang were… still complicated. At work, they barely said a word to each other except for in greeting. Blake would catch Yang watching her. She looked like a sad kicked puppy. Never had she seen the blonde so dejected and hollow. She always thought a smile suited her best, but it was clear the only ones she saw were fake ones to make everyone think that everything was ok.

It seemed to work, but Blake knew otherwise. She missed her warm smiles.

She didn't heed her partner's-... Associate's advice, however. She didn't try and mend things. What was the point anyways? After this, she was leaving. She couldn't put Yang and her family in anymore danger. Moving away was the right thing to do. Even if she didn't want to.

The next two nights went like the previous one. They didn't find anything in particular. One of the struggles they faced was trying to keep Nightshade out of the public eye. She didn't want people thinking that she had returned, only to leave again. It was hard enough hearing their criticisms now, she couldn't imagine how it would be if they felt like she had left them once again.

"Alright, I got a good feeling about tonight!" Yellow Dragon exclaimed as the two left their meeting point.

"You said that last night too."

"Yeah, but this time will be different! I know it. I can feel it in my bones." Said YD. She emphasized 'bones' by shaking her arms about in a goofy fashion.

_What a dork._ Nightshade thought.

They walked in the back alleys near the underground tunnel entrances, trying to find something, anything that would point towards Ruby's kidnappers. They were still unable to find any new clues.

"Hey," Yellow Dragon stopped suddenly. She swiveled her head about, as if she was trying to locate something. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?" Nightshade asked. The only noise she could hear was the typical city ambient noise.

"Someone is in trouble. They're crying for help." YD told Nightshade. "We have to go help them!" She didn't wait for a reply and ran off further into the alleys.

"Yellow Dragon, wait!" Nightshade called, trying to keep up with the blonde. She turned the same corner, but stopped dead in her tracks.

Everything about Blake froze. Her heart, her blood, her movement. The sight before her was impossible. It just could not be.

In front of her stood two figures, each of them covered in their own blood. The man on the left was about 6 feet tall and had a big, jet black beard and long flowing hair to match. He had on the same blue flannel she remembered him wearing that night. Her eyes went to his abdomen, which was where most of the blood had accumulated. Blood dripped from his mouth and clung to his beard like a sickly syrup.

The woman on the right had the same golden eyes, vibrant with life once again. As if she was still alive. Below that, however, revealed otherwise. Her neck was slashed and the blood had spilled down onto her yellow blouse. Blake bought her that blouse.

"You didn't save us, Blake." The man said.

Blake fell to her knees.

"You weren't fast enough, Blake." The woman told her.

"You should have listened to him, Blake."

"I-" Blake tried to talk, but couldn't find her voice. She started to sob. Full on, heart wrenching cries. Her nightmares were playing out in front of her and she couldn't wake herself up from it.

"This!" The woman said, walking towards Blake. She pointed to her neck, the fatal wound. "Is ALL your fault!"

The sobs grew. She knew that she was right. It was her fault. Everything was her fault. She didn't have the right to dare call herself a hero anymore.

Blake curled up into a ball on the ground and tried to block everything out.

But a loud roar brought her attention back up.

They were no longer there. Instead she saw a bright yellow hero pinning a girl with green hair up against a wall. A knife clattered to the ground.

**XxXxX**

Yang was sure that she heard a young girl call out for help. But when she had gotten further into the alley and found nothing, she started to doubt herself. She went to head back, but heard a new sound.

Crying. Someone was crying their heart out in the same direction she came from. It was an older voice this time. A young woman. She was surprised to find that the sobs had come from Nightshade. The cause was unknown, until she saw that little snake, Miss Direction, sneaking out of her hiding spot and approaching the vulnerable hero. She held a knife in her hand. It was red and inscribed with a blade-like symbol with a heart in the center. She knew that symbol, it was Ember Arrow's knife.

As quickly as she could, she rushed the woman and punched her in the face. While she was still reeling from the attack, she pushed her up against the wall, disarming her.

"Nice try, but I won't be tricked that easily."

"Oh darn, you stopped me." Said Miss Direction, lacking any sort of enthusiasm. "I was just supposed to send a message, ok?"

"Then what's with the knife?"

She smirked.

"I was also told to mess with her a bit. That was from him."

"Son of a bitch…"

Yellow Dragon let her go but kept her eyes on the green-haired villain. She wanted to check on Nightshade, but knew that if she didn't watch MD, she would pull more tricks.

Miss Direction slowly walked over to her knife, bent down to grab it and slid it back in it's holster. She maintained eye contact all the while as a show of peace.

"What is the message?"

"I have a note, with the directions to our base. Come alone or the girl dies."

"Why would you just tell us where your base is?"

"He said that he is… Eager to see her again and it's taking too long for you two to figure out where we are. Why not just tell you and prepare a warm welcome?"

"I'm touched."

MD looked past Yellow Dragon.

"How ya holdin up, sunshine?"

Yang finally tore her eyes away from the villain and checked on Nightshade. She was still looking at the ground, muttering something under her breath.

"Hmmmm? What was that?"

"I'm…" Her voice rose in power, dripping with venom. "Going… to KILL YOU!" She shrieked. She transformed into a panther and lunged towards the girl in green. Yang was thankful for her fast reflexes, it helped her jump out of the way just in time. The force from her not-partner's jump blew her hair to the side. Before Nightshade could make contact with her target, she disappeared. More illusions.

Nightshade changed back, skidded to a halt and whipped around in an attempt to find her victim again. When she found her, she launched herself once again, only changing her hands into vicious paws. Nightshade clawed at the villain, but she dodged each sloppy attack with ease. That was until Nightshade picked up the speed of her flurry of blows. Yang saw Miss Direction's eyes widen as one almost made contact with her neck. When one did manage to hit her, she disappeared like before.

Yang thought that Nightshade would be done after that. That she would calm down. But she didn't. She kept attacking. Hit after hit. She kept coming after her, reckless and furious. It reminded Yang of… Well…. Herself. But seeing Nightshade like that? That didn't sit well.

She needed to stop her and quick. Before she hurt herself. Or the only lead they had.

"Nightshade! Calm down!" Attempted Yellow Dragon.

"Yeah! What's the matter?" Miss Direction asked, talking in between attacks. "You look… like you just saw… a ghost."

"RAAAAAAAAH!" Nightshade roared. Something about that had really set her off. Her attacks were even faster now, more forceful, more unstable. She wasn't thinking it through and Yellow Dragon could see that the other girl was just waiting for the right moment to make a move.

She couldn't let her do that.

So when MD disappeared again and Nightshade readied herself to pounce once again, she rushed over to her.

"Here, kitty kitty." whispered Miss Direction, maliciously.

Nightshade was about to pounce, but found herself wrapped in a pair of strong arms. She struggled to be freed, but they would not budge. They remained firm.

"Nightshade." Yang simply stated in a low voice.

"Let me GO! I need to fight her! She… She…"

"It was an illusion. It wasn't real."

"Yes it WAS! It was real! He…."

"Ahem!" The other voice in the alley made herself known once again. "Look, I'm not here for all the mushy stuff. So here's the note."

Yang glared at her as she dropped the note on the ground. The villain turned on her heel and started to walk away, as if nothing happened. It was in that moment, the moment she was distracted by the green-haired girl's rude exit, that she lost her grip on Nightshade. She clamored out of Dragon's grip, rushed the unsuspecting girl and clawed at her face right as she turned around in reaction to the sudden scuffle.

"AAAAH! YOU LITTLE SHIT!"The green-haired girl screamed out in pain, holding the left side of her face. "You'll…. You'll pay for that!" She ran away from her assailant.

Nightshade stood there, observing her hands. Yang saw her start to shake. She walked over to the dark hero.

She didn't know what to do in this sort of situation. She never had to comfort a hero before. But… She wasn't just a hero. She was a girl just like her. A girl with a life and loved ones (she hoped). She should treat her like that.

So that is why she came up behind her, extended her arms and pulled her into a warm embrace. She stiffened at the contact, but soon just… Broke down. Yang felt her fall to her knees and went down with her. Having her this close to her, she felt everything. She felt every sob. Every tremor that racked her body. She felt the dark-haired girl grip onto her arms as tightly as she could. As if she was hanging on for dear life.

And they just stayed like that for a while. Yang holding Nightshade as she wailed. She nuzzled the side of hers in an attempt to make her feel more at ease. She told her comforting things. She hummed a little lullaby that she used to sing to Ruby at night. Anything to try and make her feel better.

She wasn't sure if it was working, the girl was still crying. But she did shift herself to the side so she could properly grip Yellow Dragon's back, clutching feebly at her blonde hair. Normally she would have taken issue with someone grabbing her hair like she was. But Nightshade was different.

So she just let her do as she wished and tried her best to console her… her partner in her time of need.


	11. Old Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Scars. They can be both physical and emotional. They both carry pain with them. But what can one do to fix these scars? Will they resort to revenge? Or perhaps a warm touch is all that is required to ease the ache.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, Blue again. So I am doing a thing this week. I am going to release a chapter today, Wednesday and Friday. After that we will back to the normal deal of updates on Wednesdays. I am doing this for.... reasons...
> 
> Thank you for all of your support and sticking through this with me. I know a lot of you want to punch me in the face and well... I don't see that changing anytime soon ha ha ha. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this new addition to the story! Please let me know what you think. Enjoy the Bees!

Emerald left the bathroom of the base still clutching her face. She now had four claw marks running down her face. The first one started half-way down from where the others had, but was just as deep. It needed medical attention, but Emerald wanted to see for herself what the brat had done to her. She attempted to clean it out, but it stung like a bitch whenever she tried putting water on it, let alone rubbing alcohol. She tried to block out the pain by focusing on her new hatred. The hatred of that hero the world knew as Nightshade.

When she first returned to the base, she went to seek out Adam. To relay what happened. When he saw her, he laughed. Laughed at her. He said something along the lines of 'I told you, she's a feisty one. Especially when she's angry.' And then he walked away, laughing. The crazy bastard didn't show the slightest bit of concern.

Asshole.

She wanted to ask Cinder why they were teaming up with him, why focus so much time on saving him and getting him back to his former strength. She was THE Ember Arrow. The most notorious and well known villains of all time (Besides her boss, Salem. But she... kept herself discrete). Adam had obviously lost his mind, so obsessed with Nightshade and his 'revenge'. What revenge? He probably did so much worse to her, from what Cinder had told her. But it's not like she could really do anything about it. Orders were orders. And she was told to hold things down in Vale and do whatever he said. It wasn't all bad, she did enjoy antagonizing the three girls. And now, she was excited to see Adam take down the bitch that clawed up half of her face. Even if she did have to wait until the 'transference' was complete.

Still, she was so jealous of Mercury. He got to go to Atlas with Cinder and do real crime, while she had to baby sit a psychopath.

"Oh, the little gem has returned. And she is no longer flawless, a cracked gem. What a shame." A taunting voice called out from behind her.

Speaking of psychopaths.

"Tyrian. What do you want?"

"Can't I be concerned over a colleague?" He asked, acting offended. "Well, you're more like and underling really, but still."

Emerald turned around sharply, pulled out her knife and held it up to the lanky, scarred man. He put his hands up, but had a look that said 'Do it, I dare you to try'.

"Not in the mood."

"Oh, and here I was about to offer you something great!" He whined. The man with the braided hair jutted out his bottom lip in a pout.

"What?"

The man smile and extended his hand, gesturing over to her knife. She gripped it tighter. She might work with the man from time to time, but there was no way in hell she was gonna trust him with her knife. Especially since it's the one Cinder gave her. He huffed and put both of his arms down.

"Alright. You want an explanation first, fine. I have been... working up another poison for some time now. The same one that I gave to Cinder to take down Elemento. I thought that I would be nice and let you use it."

The scarred woman could not believe what she was hearing. Tyrian (or the Scorpion, as the world knew him) had the ability to produce and spit out different poisons. Some took seconds to create, some took hours. And some of them took years. The most powerful poison he ever made took five years to make and had only one shot. He couldn't even use it himself, he had to imbue a sharp weapon with the potent chemical. Last time he made it, he used the very knife that Emerald held. It was the same knife Cinder used to kill Elemento, one of the most powerful heroes of all time. It killed her in three hours.

When Emerald first heard that it took so long she was a bit disappointed. It was then that Cinder explained how that was actually an impressive time for a hero. Since they all had passive healing, they could survive some poisons that most people couldn't. On top of the fast kill time, there was no known cure. So everyone just had to watch as she died, helpless to save her. It was almost sad.

Almost.

But why was he offering her such power?

"And you're giving this to me, why again?"

"We both know that the Bull is a bit off his rocker at this point. And that's saying something, coming from me." He explained with a crazy grin. "If he faces Nightshade now, there is a chance that he will lose. And if that happens, we need to be the ones to take her out. You do want revenge now, don't you?"

Emerald touched her face and flinched at the pain it caused.

"... Yes."

"Then give me the knife."

Reluctantly, she swung the knife around and handed the handle end to him. He looked at it, giggling in glee. The very next moment, he was pushing it down into his throat like a deranged sword swallower. The green-haired woman had to look away as she did so, afraid she would lose what little food she had that day. Only when she heard the man pull the knife back out did she look back at him.

"Here you are, my dear. Remember, it only has one shot in it. Even a tiny little cut will destroy all of it's potency and then it will be just a normal knife again."

"Thanks." She said, taking her knife back and slipping it back in it's sheath for another time. "Are you sure you don't have any other motives here?"

"Think of it for the good of our master. Our queen, our goddess, Salem." Dreamily he replied.

"Yeah, for Salem." She said, but she knew that she was only really doing this for Cinder.

And to get Nightshade back for her face.

**XxXxX**

After some time, Blake was finally able to calm herself enough for the two heroes to leave the alley and make it back to the rooftops. They were both silent on the way over. Blake would have been impressed that Yellow Dragon was able to remain quiet for so long, but she was still so shaken from their encounter with a certain green-haired villain.

Now they both sat atop the roof, like they had just a couple days ago. Their feet dangled off the side as they watched the horizon line. The sun had set long ago, but the glow from the city lights danced just above the rooftops. Yellow Dragon had looked over to Nightshade multiple times, trying and failing to express herself each time.

"Alright. I understand that you don't like talking about your past... But it's need to know time. You can't... you can't just go berserk like that. Trust me, I know."

Blake remained silent. She knew that she was right. She probably should tell Yellow Dragon what happened all those years ago. But it was... hard. Everything was just so damn hard.

"Ok, ok. Then how about I tell you about me first. My 'tragic back story'. Or at least how I discovered my powers. And trust me, it isn't exactly a pleasant story."

This caught Nightshade's attention. She looked over to her partn... associate, and gave her full attention.

"So, like I said, my sibling and I had been on our own for a while. This was obviously after you had saved us that one time. After that, I trained. Hard. I never wanted to feel defenseless again. I never wanted anyone to try and..." Yellow Dragon trailed off. She clenched her eyes tight and shook her head. "I never wanted anyone to hurt my sibling again. So I taught myself how to fight. How to throw a punch and take one. I worked on my endurance, my speed, my tolerance for pain. Anything to get stronger. And I really thought I had. But then..."

Silence.

"Then?" Nightshade prodded a bit. YD sighed.

"One day we were really not doing so well. We hadn't eaten in... a while. Some guys offered some free food. Told us they worked for a charity. We were both too hungry to even question it. But when we got to the 'food truck', they jumped us. Knocked my sibling out cold right off the bat. They tried to do the same to me, but I resisted. I fought, but I wasn't strong enough. And then... I saw these guys carry her... Uh I mean them... I saw the guys carry them into the van. And I just lost it. All of a sudden, BAM! I was stronger than all of them. I was faster. And I was hot, literally. I melted their van down when I pushed past them to grab my sibling."

"I... I didn't... wow."

"Yeah, I didn't really even think about using my powers to be a hero till more recently, though. I was too concerned with surviving at the time. I really couldn't think about other people."

"And now?"

"And now, we are safe. We are in a good place and I can worry about the citizens now... mostly." Her face dropped at her addition at the end. "Alright. Now you know. And I hate to do this, but I need to know, Nightshade. So I know what could happen. So I can help you."

She stared at the hero, in awe of her concern. They hadn't even known each other that long, but... there was so much between them. She couldn't explain why, but she didn't particularly care in this moment.

"I... Discovered my powers at a young age. I was around ten when I first turned into a little kitten. My parents never knew, it was my little secret to keep. Besides, I had this irrational fear that they would think I was a freak and send me away. So I just hid it and transformed in secluded parks, where I could roam free. It was... nice."

"Why would they think you were a freak? What you do is freaking cool!"

"I did say it was irrational. Anyways, when I was fifteen, I wanted to make a difference in the world. I knew about the Heroes association and decided that I wanted to fight crime alongside them. So I got a mask and started living a double life as Nightshade. And it was fun. I enjoyed what I did and thought I was making a difference in the world. And then I met Raging Bull. He was passionate and strong and had this... charm about him. We worked a couple cases together and then decided to become crime fighting partners."

"Just... partners? Yellow Dragon asked. It was not the first time she had been asked it, but the first time after all the things that went down occurred.

"We... At one point, we were romantically involved. Not till later and not even that long, if I'm being honest. That wasn't what caused the falling out, if that's what you are wondering. He seemed to be fine when we... when we decided to just be friends. But we were close. So close that... That I trusted him with my secret identity. And he trusted me with his. It was an amazing feeling, having someone you could talk to about anything, in or out of the mask. He was my confidant, my... my friend."

"But?"

"But... He started to change. He started questioning why we protected and served normal people when we were so much stronger than them. I told him that it was a duty and we do it because they can't always save themselves. He didn't agree. That's when the bank incident happened."

"The time when you two stopped a bank robbery, only for him to demand payment from the bank for your service?"

Blake raised her eyebrows at her knowledge.

"My sibling is a big fan."

"Ok sure," Nightshade smirked at her, but it didn't last. Her smiles never lasted when she thought about these events. "I stopped him that night and he ran off. I didn't know where. I looked for him for two nights. Even after everything he had said, I was still... worried about him. And then... I went home..."

Nightshade pulled her legs up and hugged them tight, preparing herself. She had never told anyone what had happened that night.

"I... I walked in... And my... dad was on the ground. Covered in blood. I ran to check on him, but he was already... gone. Then, I heard a plate crash in the kitchen. I ran over to see who was there... And he... h-he was there, holding a sword to my mom's throat... I-I... I..."

Nightshade started sobbing once again. She felt an arm drape over her shoulders, rubbing tiny circles into her shoulder blade. She tried to calm herself enough to speak again.

"He had this whole... speech prepared and... he told me to tell her who I was. To tell her I was Nightshade. So I did . I d-did whatever he asked me to do. I was on my knees, begging for him to let her go. He told me that... that this is what I deserved. That we could have been an even better team if I listened to him. That this is what I get for being... for being a hero... And then... he pulled this... red sword across her throat... and she was gone in seconds. She... was just gone... and he left a-as... a-as I tried to stop the bleeding."

"I... Oh my Oum..." Was all YD could say.

"I... was furious. I went into a rage after that. I honestly don't remember much, I was so consumed with hatred. I wanted to KILL him. I hunted him down. I finally found him on that train. And I... was this close... THIS. CLOSE... to tearing out his throat. But I couldn't bring myself to do it. Then he set off the chargers on the train. I escaped in time, but he got trapped in the room with the explosives. I thought he died."

Nightshade took in a deep, but shaky, breath.

"And that's why I left. I... couldn't after everything that happened. I needed to be away from it all. From Vale. I traveled a bit, tried to find myself again, tried to move on. And then I came back. Got a job, lived a normal life, all alone. This, Dragon. This is why I can't get close to anyone. It'll just cause them pain... and it'll cause me pain."

"Nightshade."

Blake was expecting some sort of speech from her about how Nightshade 'shouldn't give up' or something to that extent. Instead, she just pulled her in for a hug, rubbing her back and squeezing tight.

"I am so sorry. I had no idea that's what you went through. And here I was making light of it."

Tears falling down her face, the dark hero hugged her back just as tight. She felt so vulnerable, but she felt that that was ok. It was ok because it was Yellow Dragon. She knew the girl wouldn't judge her. She knew that she cared about her. She knew that she wanted to help.

YD started to pull away from the hug, but the two stopped, faces mere inches away from each other. Their lips were tantalizingly close. Blake wanted to close the distance again. She had the urge to kiss her once more, and it seemed as if Yellow Dragon felt the same. The both moved closer and closer, their shuddering breaths overlapping, craving to be joined together. To share a breath or two. Or five.

But just as they almost made contact, Yellow Dragon forced her lips into a straight line, leaning away from the girl.

"Uh-um. Thanks. For trusting me." She said, looking over at her sheepishly. A light blush spread across her face.

"O-of... course. Thank you for listening. I've... never told someone this before."

"So I'm special?" She asked. It seemed as if she intended it to sound cocky and full of herself, but it sounded more earnest and genuine.

"I suppose so."

They both averted their gaze at the same time, too embarrassed to continue making eye-contact.

"So, we got an address. I say we storm the place tomorrow and bust Ruby outta there."

"Probably not a smart idea. They'll be waiting for us. Getting in won't be a problem. It's getting out that will be the tricky part."

"Alright, any ideas?"

Blake thought. How could they get out of there? Man, what she wouldn't give to have a teleportation power.

Wait.

"I might know someone who can help. But we can discuss that tomorrow. Same time, same place?"

"You know I'll be here."

"Alright... um, goodbye." Nightshade waved bashfully. She shifted and flew away.

She felt lighter tonight.


	12. Plans and Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Knowing they are willingly heading straight into the fire, our heroes prepare themselves. Not only physically, but emotionally too. Though the fear is still there, nothing will stop these two from trying their best even at their worst

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyo! Blue here. As promised, here is the next chapter. A little lighter then the last two. The next chapter will be released on Friday and then we are back to Wednesdays! 
> 
> Again, thanks for all the comments, kudos and support! You guys are the best. I hope you all like this chapter! Let me know what you think. Enjoy the Bees!

Yang kept thinking about Nightshade. She thought about what she had gone through. She knew that it was upsetting enough that Ruby was kidnapped, but she didn't even want to fathom what it would be like if she were killed right before her eyes. She shuddered, trying to block out that mental image. And now, all the careless things she said came rushing back to her. All the times she accused her of leaving the city when they needed her. All the times she made fun of her 'tragic back story', when it actually had the right to be named as such.

And it made sense, why she felt the need to push everyone away. She was scared. Scared that if anyone got close, they would face the same fate as her family. That she would suffer even more. She wished she could dispel those fears for her, but the very man that instilled them was back and ready to take more from her. That girl, the one she fell for. She was in danger. She wanted to ask her who the lucky girl was... Uuuuh, she meant the girl. Just girl.

Strange new feelings aside, she wanted to know who the girl was so that they could protect her. So that they could keep an eye on her and make sure Raging Bull didn't pull anything. He, hopefully, didn't know about her. But they couldn't be too sure.

Tonight, at ten, they would meet up again. They would go through with whatever plan Nightshade had. They would go to the base and get Ruby back. Simple, right?

Yang knew it wasn't. If she was honest with herself, she was scared. Not for her own safety. She was afraid that something might happen or that something had happened to Ruby. She didn't know what she would do if that was the case. She told Nightshade that she couldn't go berserk in there, but she might not be able to help herself. On top of that, she was nervous about Nightshade. After hearing that story, facing Raging Bull again is going to be so challenging for her. If they were lucky, and had the drop on them, they might be able to avoid him altogether. But, as things were now, that seemed less and less likely.

But there was one reason she might have concerns for her own safety and that reason was currently placing a gallon of one percent milk in a plastic bag for an old lady. Blake smiled at the woman as she handed back her change and wished her well. She seemed a lot happier today. Part of her was so happy that she seemed to have found something that made her a little brighter than usual. The other, more selfish side of her was jealous that it wasn't because of her. She sighed.

_She's happier than I'll ever make her._  Yang thought.

If Yang went to the base tonight, she didn't know if she would see Blake again. She wanted to... tie things up, even if it was just her being paranoid. She normally wasn't this negative about things, but then again, she never faced anyone like Raging Bull before.

So after their shifts, Yang tried to approach Blake. But before she could, Blake beat her to the punch.

"Hey, Yang." She said with a small smile.

"H-hey. I was just gonna... Um... What's up?"

"I wanted to talk with you a bit." Blake told her, motioning for them to leave the store.

"Is everything ok?"

"I... I just wanted to talk about things."

_That didn't answer my question._ Yang thought. She had a bad feeling.

They left the store and started walking in the direction of the Schnee mansion out of habit. Like they used to.

"So... things... you wanted to talk about them?"

"I wanted to apologize for what I said before. I wanted to let you know that I... That I enjoyed our walks. That I enjoy talking with you, Yang."

"I... You..."

"Sorry, I just wanted to let you know. It was important to me."

"... Thanks..." Yang didn't know what else to say. A whole new slew of emotions coursed through her body. One such emotion was glee. Blake actually enjoyed being with her after all. She might even have a shot with her. She felt like dancing and shouting to the world. It was an amazing feeling.

The next emotion was confusion. Why? Why did she feel the need to tell her this. There were so many times she could have told her this. Why now? Why when Yang and Nightshade were about to go on a dangerous mission? She couldn't have known about that. Could she have?

"What did you want to talk about?"

"I... I wanted to..." What had she wanted to say? She wanted to say the things that Blake already beat her to the punch for. But she was saying it because she was worried that she might not make it back. "Wait, why are you saying this?"

Blake looked away from Yang.

"I wanted you to know. Just in case."

"In case of what?"

"Yang I-"

"No! In case of what?"

"Well... He's back... And he hates me..."

"Blake, nothing is going to happen to you."

"You don't know that. You don't know what might happen after..." Her voice trailed off.

"After?"

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does, Blake! What's wrong?" Yang asked, panic infiltrating her voice.

"I can't tell you. But it will be ok. Take care of yourself, Yang. Take care of your family."

"Blake."

"I have to go. There are things I need to get done."

"Blake! Wai-" Yang called out. But before she could finish, Blake had pulled her into an embrace. She clung tight. Yang cautiously reciprocated at first, but lost herself in the dark-haired girl's embrace. Blake smelled like lemongrass and mint, just as her lips had tasted. The aroma was so soothing she wanted to remain in her embrace for as long as she could. She had yearned for this for so long. It was oddly familiar though. Maybe it was because she had been comforting another dark-haired beauty.

Blake then pulled away and smiled. There were tears evident in her eyes.

"Goodbye, Yang." She said. Blake then turned and left.

Yang watched.

_I never got to tell her._ Yang thought.  _I never got to tell her how I felt._

Yang told herself that she would have another chance. But the way Blake was talking, she was worried about what the girl would do.

**XxXxX**

"We're going to see Professor Oobleck?" Yellow Dragon asked as she followed her associate along the back alleys.

"Dr. Oobleck." Nightshade corrected. "He has helped me out in the past and told me I was welcome to ask for assistance anytime I needed it. He's probably not expecting me to take him up on that offer now, but I'm sure he'll be more than willing to help."

"And how exactly can he help us?"

"We need an escape plan, and from what he was working on the last time I saw him, I have a feeling he knows something that will help."

As they neared the apartment complex, Yellow Dragon grabbed Nightshade's wrist. When Blake looked back, she saw the bright hero wore a sad smile.

"Hey, thank you for all your help." She told her. "I really couldn't have done any of this without you."

"I... You're welcome. I probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere without you either though."

"Nightshade."

"Yes?"

"I was thinking, and... You don't have to go to the complex. I can handle getting in and getting her out of there. You can get out after we talk to the doc."

"What?" Nightshade asked incredulously. How could she say that? "No! We do this together. I am seeing this till the end. No matter what might happen to me."

"You see it though, right? He has set this whole thing up to see you. And after you, he'll probably go after Blake Belladonna." YD explained. "If you just leave it to me, you won't have to worry. You can go back to your normal life again."

A normal life? Blake wasn't even sure what that meant anymore. She was touched that Yellow Dragon was finally understanding of her wishes, but that was when they first started the mission. And things had changed. She had changed. What was her normal life, anyways? Bagging groceries and pining after a girl she would never allow herself to have? Only experiencing love through the dry pages of a book? Going through the same routine, day after day? All of a sudden, with the recent events fresh in her mind, it seemed rather dull. This past week may have been an emotional hell for her, but it was the most exhilarating time she has had in a while. She doesn't know the last time she has laughed that hard, or had a conversation that long, or had someone hold her that tenderly. And that was when Blake realized what she would miss in her pursuit of a normal life.

Yellow Dragon.

The girl had wormed her way into her heart. She really did grow on people. Not like moss, though. She was more like slinking into a comforter on a cold winter night. At first, it was cold and you didn't think that it would actually help you feel any warmer. But then it brings out your own heat and wraps you in warmth. Yellow Dragon brought out the best in Blake. The parts she thought died a long time ago. And if she just led a 'normal life', she would never be able to see her again. She didn't know who she was outside of the mask, so she couldn't exactly ask her to hang out.

Maybe if Blake asked her, YD would tell-

No. She has been so adamant about not revealing identities, she can't just all of a sudden ask her. Besides, if she asked her, she would feel obligated to reveal hers as well. And that was not smart. But she still did wonder, just who was underneath those goofy goggles? Who was the girl who had been through so much and still smiled despite it all?

"The only way we do this, Dragon, is together." Finally she said. She stared in to her eyes with determination.  _Even if I don't make it out in the end._  She thought.

**XxXxX**

"My word! Nightshade! I have not seen you in ages." The doc exclaimed as he opened his apartment door. "Please! Please! Come on in." He ushered with a wave of his hand.

"Oh my, Yellow Dragon too? Hello, my dear. My name is Dr. Bartholomew Oobleck." He extended his hand out to the other hero.

"Nice to meet you Dr. Oobleck." She greeted in return and took his hand.

"Now, while it is nice to see you two, it is rather late." He said, closing the door to his apartment once both heroes were inside.

"I apologize, Dr. Oobleck. But it's kind of important. We need your help." Nightshade kindly requested.

"Ah, another case?"

"Yes, the kidnapping case. Ruby Rose?"

"Oh, have you had any breakthroughs?"

Nightshade looked over to Yellow Dragon and then back to Oobleck.

"We have discovered where they are keeping her."

"You have? Well that is brilliant!" He exclaimed, but then his face dropped marginally. "Or not? Something tells me that you wouldn't be here if it were simple, am I wrong?"

"They know that we are coming. They gave us the directions themselves." Yellow Dragon supplied. "It's a set up and we need an escape plan. Nightshade here said that you might know a way to get us out of there?"

It was as if a light bulb had just gone off in his head. The doc raced further into his apartment and began rifling through a bunch of junk. Yang wanted to go see what he was working on, but Nightshade simply held out a hand, wearing a humorous smile. Gosh she was cute when she smiled.

With nothing else to do but wait for the doc to finish what ever he was working on, Yang took a look around the man's apartment. She thought that her room back at the mansion was messy, but this took the cake. Metal bits and doodads everywhere. The counter space (that was supposed to be used for cooking) was over flowing with beakers and test tubes, filled with various colored liquids. Yang then felt something hitting her feet. A tiny little modified roomba attempted to get through. She lifted her foot and the machine went on it's way.

"Aha!" He exclaimed. He came out of the other room holding two flat cylinders.

"What are those?" YD asked.

"These, are teleportation pads!"

Yang was pretty sure her jaw dropped at that moment. It sounded so far-fetched. So futuristic. So science fiction. Science fact, now?  _Heh! Good one, Yang._

She looked over to her partner and saw that she was only mildly surprised, mostly amused. Probably from Yellow Dragon's reaction to the contraption.

"How does it work, Doctor?" Nightshade asked.

"Well I modified it for your needs. It is a one way trip. You will put one end where you want to go, travel to the place where they are keeping her, and use it to bring you back to safety."

"What if someone tries to follow us?" YD asked.

"Impossible. It is one way for a reason. I have set it so after you travel through it, it will blow up."

"BLOW UP?" Exclaimed both heroes.

"A small explosion! Nothing big, just enough to make sure they can't follow and my tech won't be stolen."

"Alright, that makes sense, I guess." Dragon responded.

"Now, I do need to get some sleep tonight. I have to get up at five for work." He scooted them out. "And I expect to hear about you two in the news tomorrow."

"Um, probably just me, doc. Nightshade... can't do the super hero stuff anymore." Yang said.

"Ah, a shame. You are one of the best. Well, I wish you both the best of luck anyways."

And with that, he shut the door. Yang's eyes then locked on the one next to the doctor's. Blake's door. She thought about what she said earlier. It was a bit concerning. She wanted to make sure she was still ok. Without even thinking, she made her way over to her door.

"What are you doing?" Nightshade asked. She sounded a bit panicky, but paid that no mind.

"Oh, sorry. I wanted to check in on Blake Belladonna. See if she was alright."

"I'm sure she's fine, Dragon. We have work to do."

"This won't take long." Yang said as she knocked on her door. When she received now answer, fear surged through her body. Why wasn't she answering?

"Yellow Dragon, She's probably asleep."

"Yeah, I hope." She spared the door one last worried look and turned to follow Nightshade.

And with that, they left the apartment. Onto their next destination. Schnee manor.

**XxXxX**

"That went... a lot smoother than expected." Blake commented. They had just put the teleportation device in the location of their choice. Which happened to be the gym of Schnee manor, the only place that did not have security cameras, besides the bedrooms and bathrooms (And neither destination seemed to ideal for their needs). When she asked Weiss why there were no cameras in that room, she said that it was at the request of Yang. Weird request, but she supposed it felt even stranger to have camera's watching you in your own home. She probably needed one place that she didn't feel like she was being watched.

"Well, yeah. We are bringing back her girlfriend, I'm sure she would be more than happy to help us in any way she could."

"Yeah, That makes sense." Nightshade said. "Are you ready for this? This won't be easy."

"Baby, I was born ready." She winked.

"Really? Now? You choose to be a ham now?"

"Oink oink?" Yellow Dragon said. "Hey, I use humor to cope with fear."

"You're scared?"

"Well, yeah. I'm scared that we won't be able to save her... or that something might happen to you."

"Don't... don't worry about me, Dragon." She gave a small smile. "And we'll definitely get her out of there." She put a hand on her shoulder and the bright hero clasped her hand over top of Nightshade's.

They stared at each other for a couple seconds. Amber locked with crimson. And then, without needing to say another word, they went off into dangers unknown. Off to rescue Ruby.


	13. Revenge and Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We all have demons we must face, the hero known as Nightshade is well aware of this. But while she formerly believed that she had to do it alone, she now realizes that this is not the case. That maybe there are others willing to fight with her, for her... No matter the consequences...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! It's Blue. Into the base we go! We are so very close to the end too. I don't have too much to say, I just hope that you enjoy this chapter.
> 
> Also a side note, I will be selling torches and pitchforks... Just in case anyone needs them after this... Let me know what you think with a comment! Enjoy the Bees!

Yellow Dragon and Nightshade made their way through the corridor of the base. They encountered some enemies along their way. Low level throw away guards, really. They took them down, the two heroes were in complete sync. Yellow Dragon would throw a punch at one man, Nightshade would pounce on the one trying to get the drop on her. Both women must have felt it. This connection. Blake knows that she did.

"I set 'em up and you knock 'em down? That's new." Yellow Dragon called out as they ran further down the corridor, laughing. It wasn't the kind of levity that was expected of two heroes heading into what could be there certain doom, but it was the kind of levity they needed.

"Gotta try new things, right? You're always pestering me about being stuck. Thought I'd switch it up." Called back Nightshade.

Maybe things wouldn't be too bad. They could get through this together. They could do it. She really felt like they could.

And then they reached a large open atrium. It might have been pitch black, but with her night vision, she was able to see the room clearly. She could see the menacing figure standing in the very center of the room. She wished she hadn't been able to. The lights turned on to reveal a smug looking Raging Bull, waiting patiently. That was new.

All the positivity she had before. All the hope, all of her wishes. They all died upon seeing him and his smirk. That damn smirk. He was standing in front of a large control panel with different size buttons and knobs. The wall was covered with screens of various shapes and sizes.

"Hello, Nightshade. And Yellow Dragon, I've heard a lot about you. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Can't say the feeling is mutual." YD seethed, heat rising from her direction.

"Aw, I'm hurt. But it's no matter. You aren't really the one I'm concerned about. She's the one that I've been so... Excited to see again. How have you been, darling? It has been a while. Miss me?"

Nightshade clenched a shaking fist. So tight she thought she might draw blood. But then she felt a gloved hand fit on top of hers. The fist relaxed and she turned to see the source. Yellow Dragon nodded and squeezed her hand.

"Replaced me, huh?"

"Where is she?"

"Hmm? Who, the girl? She's here, alive... for now."

"Where?" Yellow Dragon demanded. Blake could feel the heat that radiated off of her, just like at the bar. She was losing her temper, and that might work with harmless thugs like Junior and his goons, but it wouldn't work with monsters like Adam. Such rash actions could get her killed.

"Go ahead and find her. I'll handle him." Nightshade told her.

"I thought you said we were in this together."

"We are, but you aren't in an emotional state to face him right now." Nightshade explained. "You're too hot."

"While I appreciate the compliment-"

"Not what I meant."

"I know, you're right." Dragon relented. "But what about you. Can you really handle this on your own after... After everything he did?"

"I'll be fine. Besides, I have to fight my demons sometime, right?" Nightshade said. "Finding Ruby is our top priority. I can do this. I need to."

Yellow Dragon didn't say anything, but her eyes suggested that she had more she wanted to say. More worry. Blake wouldn't let her.

"Some annoying hero told me that I should fight for what I believe in. She was talking about love in that instance, but I think it applies here too. I need to take him down."

This seemed to get through to the blonde hero. She reached over and gave her hand a squeeze. She ran off in the next corridor. Blake was anxious that Adam might make a move to attack YD, but he just kept staring at Blake. The smirk was still plastered on his smug face.

"So, told her our story, my love? The whole story?"

"How are you alive?"

"I'm surprised, you were always such a closed book. But, this... bimbo got the whole story?" He said, ignoring her question.

"She's not a bimbo."

"You two must be close."

"Shut up."

"Temper temper. You seem on edge, want to talk about it?"

"What do you want?"

"Aw, don't be like that. How long has it been, two years? Man, the time flies when you are recovering from an explosion."

"I'll ask you one last time. How. Are you. Alive?"

He turned to the side and crossed his arms.

"I was on the brink of death, any longer and I would have perished. But then, Ember Arrow found me. She put me in this." He stepped back and revealed a glass tube with a flourish of his hands. It had different tubes attached to it. "This chamber sustained me for two years. My power prevented me from dying, but this is what kept me in a stable state. Slowly, I regenerated and regained consciousness."

He then stepped away from the tube and put a hand on his sword.

"But when I woke up, I found I was missing something else." Adam said. "Something of mine that you have. And I need to take it back."

Nightshade thought about all that he had already taken from her. Her family, her lifestyle, her feeling of safety. She wouldn't let him take anymore.

"Just try it!" She shouted, readying a fighting position.

**XxXxX**

Another guard hit the ground. Yang ran down the hall and ripped open the next door.

Nothing.

Dammit.

How many rooms did this place have? Most of them were empty after all. She felt more and more hopeless each time she didn't see her sister.

One room did peak her interest though. When she walked inside, she found a whiteboard with a bunch of scientific scribbles scrawled about. Something about trying to find a new source for powers? It was all gibberish to Yang. On the desk, a bunch of papers were scattered across it. She wasn't going to look through the papers. Her priority was Ruby and she wanted to find her as soon as possible. But something caught her eye. One of the papers said Raging Bull at the top of the page. Yang picked it up, figuring that it might have some useful information.

Adam Taurus. Guess that was his actual name. Strange. It was hard to believe that a monster like that had a real name. That he probably used to have a life and family. Yang didn't want to think about it too much.

She read further down the list and her eyes widened. This... This was... She needed to get to Nightshade as soon as possible. This could help them take Raging Bul- er, Adam down.

She read lower and a gnawing pit of fear burrowed it's way into her stomach. She really needed to rush to Nightshade. They had the advantage on him now, but that might not last. If they didn't act fast, Nightshade could be overpowered.

Or worse.

Yang made note of what she had just seen and rushed out of the room. She was greeted by five armed guards.

"Hey, fellas. Have you seen a girl with red hair and silver eyes around here?"

The middle guard yelled and rushed her with a cattle prod. Well, he tried to. YD ducked and sent a flaming punch to his abdomen. He fell to his knees and groaned. Two guards circled around and pointed guns at her head. She put her hands up in defense and slowly rose from her kneeling position.

"You could have just said 'no', ya know."

"Shut it! You got no where else to go, punk. Stand down."

"'Punk'? Excuse you, I am a super hero. I fight chumps like you for a workout."

"Oh yeah? Then how come you don't stop us now, huh?" Another guard snickered.

"I'm trying to build up enough heat to melt your guns first." Yang explained.

The men checked their guns to see if it was true. Blinded by her bluff, Yang had enough time to sucker punch each of them in the face, rendering the four unconscious. She began to walk away, but heard the first assailant groan from the initial punch to the gut. She kicked him in the face and ran off down the hall.

More doors, more guards. More empty rooms.

Until she got to one room. She had to fight off ten guards to get to it, but she knew it was worth it the moment she opened up the door. Inside, a tied up figure was slumped in a chair. When the light from the door fully hit her eyes, she lifted her head weakly and squinted. Her silver eyes twinkled in the light.

Yang could have cried. She was so happy to have found her sister, but she also saw the state that she was in. Someone had dealt quite a beating on her. She had a black eye and looked quite sore all over. There was some blood that dried on her face, particularly around her mouth. She looked tired and scared.

She was gonna kill the son of a bitch that did this to her little sister.

"Oh my Oum." She said under her breath. She ran over to the chair and started to untie her. "Hey, Ruby. I'm gonna get you out of here, alright? You're safe now."

"Y-yellow Dragon? Is this real?... Are you really here?"

After she had untied Ruby's hands, she moved to the front to untie her feet as well.

"Yeah. Yeah this is real, Ruby. Even got Nightshade in on this." She smirked at her.

"Nightshade? But she's been... gone. She came back... For me?"

"For you and you alone. Must have heard you were her number one fan, huh?" Yellow Dragon told her with a wink. She finished untying her feet. "I'm gonna pick you up now, alright?"

"Ok. Thank you, Yellow Dragon." Ruby feebly thanked as she clung to her weakly. Yang wanted to cry, she was so relieved that she found her baby sister.

"O-of course." She said, her voice catching with emotion.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, we were just all worried about you, kid. Happy to have you back."

"Do you know me?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." YD said playfully. "We gotta get going though. Nightshade could be in some trouble. You ready?"

Ruby nodded and Yang ran out of the room. On her way to help her partner.

**XxXxX**

Raging Bull's sword whiffed beside Blake's head, thanks to the latter's reflexes. The man had been relentless in his attacks, wildly and viciously swinging. She hadn't expected that. From what she remembered, he would normally wait for the right moment, to absorb as much damage as he could. But he wasn't. He was recklessly going after her.

It took all her willpower to not attack him back, but she knew that he would just absorb the attack and things would only be worse for her. So she had been on the defense this entire time. A slash here, a thrust there, she did her best to dodge them all. Hoping that he would just tire himself out. But she started to take more hits than dodging them. Her body was littered in cuts from his blade. Nothing lethal, but Blake knew it was only a matter of time.

"You're rusty, my love. You used to be untouchable. Am I just the exception?" He said. He sheathed his sword momentarily and grabbed the side of her face. "Can I touch you? Like old times, hmm?"

She pulled away and put her clawed hands up in defense.

"Go to hell!"

He began his attack again, but with his fists instead. When one of his hits finally landed on her face, he stopped again. He laughed. A sickening laugh.

"Boy oh boy. For someone so mad, you really aren't attacking, now are you?"

He sent a roundhouse kick to her stomach, but before he could make contact, she transformed into her cat form and slid underneath.

"Think I'm stupid? We were partners, I know how your power works." She told him, barely keeping her cool.

"True, true." Adam told her. Without warning, he withdrew his sword once again and slashed madly. Blake leapt backwards just in time, but backed up into the control panel by the wall.

"No where else to go!" Raging Bull shouted, inches away from the dark-haired hero. Blake tried to transform and slip out of the tight spot she had found herself in, but before she could, Adam grabbed her by her throat. He lifted her up off the ground and she felt the blood rush to her head. He spun her around and gripped his sword in his other hand. Blake eyed the weapon in fear, but closed her eyes. So this was the end. She hoped it would be quick.

"Oh, my love. How I wish I could kill you." He said in a sickly sugary voice. "But like I said, you have something I need."

"What... Do you... Want?" Blake struggled to say. She had no way to combat this. With no option to attack, she was left to just listen to the mad man and his demands.

"I would love nothing more than to make you suffer for your betrayal. However, what I actually need is inside of you." He emphasized by pointing his sword in the center of her chest. He lowered her down to the ground, grabbing her shirt instead of her neck.

"Over my dead body." She spat. Adam pulled her down so her jaw reached his knee.

"Maybe later, but first, you are going in there." He said, slamming his hand on a button behind him. The tube opened up.

"No. No!" She tried to pull away, but his hand drifted back to her neck and he lifted her up once again. She struggled as much as she could, but couldn't do much without attacking him outright. She might be doomed, but Yellow Dragon still had to get out with Ruby.

"NIGHTSHADE!" She heard someone yell from across the atrium. Looking over, she saw Yellow Dragon running in with a figure in her arms. It was Ruby, she found her.

"What a pest."

"Nightshade! He doesn't have his powers right now! He is trying to take the aura he gave you back to kick start it!" She shouted.

"SHUT UP YOU PEST!" Adam shouted back.

That's why he was fighting so desperately. That's why he wasn't waiting for her to attack. So Blake took the next logical leap and tested it out. She formed two claws and scratched at the arm that held her up. He yelled out in pain and dropped her. It was true!  _Thank you, Dragon!_  Blake thought. She continued her new assault on the man. Landing hit after hit. She backed him further and further away from the machine.

"This is for betraying ME! Not the other way around!" A hook to the face.

"This is for my dad! He was a good man and deserved a long life!" She transformed and pounced on him. He fell prone.

"This is for my mom! She was only ever sweet to you and you did not deserve her kindness!" She kicked him in the rib.

"And this! This is for me! For making me paranoid about everything around me! For making me feel like I could never grow close to anyone! For making my life HELL! This!" She screamed, pulling him up him up by his collar and staring through the slits in his mask. "THIS IS FOR ME!"

With that, she punched his mask, utterly decimating it. The little pieces showered on the floor while the big ones slid down his face slowly. She readied another attack. She was ready to finish it. She was ready to end him. To end it all. She wanted to do what she had almost done all that time ago. But then, she looked to the other side of the room. The side where her partner stood. She looked at her with this... familiar warm smile. All of her anger left.

She wasn't a killer. She wasn't a monster. That was him, and she would not stoop to his level. She let go of his coat and allowed the bloodied villain fall on his back.

"You're not worth me losing myself over." She told him coldly as she started to head back towards her... her partner. She heard a woman behind her rush over to him and ask if he was alright.

"Raaaah! I'm not done with you yet!" Adam growled loudly. Blake turned around to see the man push Miss Direction (she must have been watching the whole time) off of him and get to his feet.

"What are you doing? The plan has failed!"

"Shut up, I haven't failed yet!"

"They know who you are now!"

"Think I give a rats ass? She is mine!" He yelled, rushing towards Blake again. She dodged out of the way just in time. But when she looked back, he was heading towards Yellow Dragon, who was now standing defensively in front of Ruby.

Blake thought quickly and ran towards the pseudo-incubator. She'd have to be quick.

"Hey! It's me you're after!" She shouted.

Luckily, Adam took the bait and started charging towards Nightshade at full speed. When he was inches away from her, she transformed into a crow, swooping upwards. Adam fell inside the glass cylinder. Transforming back, Nightshade gripped the top of the pod and used her feet to shut the door on him.

"No! Let me out! Let me out!"

"Never again!" She told him, inspecting the control panel connected to the contraption. She found the button that said 'sleep' and pressed it. Setting it for ten years. Didn't want to be too careful.

"I'll be back! You know I will!" He shouted through the glass, pounding furiously. He had truly lost it, she could fully see that now. And it oddly gave her a sense of... peace? It wasn't her best friend that betrayed her and killed her family. It was this. A mad man who had lost his grip on reality. Who was really the animal here? And she realized that not everyone would be crazy like him. Yang certainly wasn't.

"I wouldn't count on it." She turned on her heels and walked away.

_BOOM!_

An explosion shook the floor of the base. Looking behind her, she saw Adam falling out of consciousness with a pressed trigger in his hand. Yellow Dragon rushed up behind her, Ruby in tow.

"Looks like our cue! Let's go, the teleportation pad is over there!" She shouted, pointing at the metal cylinder on the other side of the room. Guards filled the room and the heroes readied for a fight. However, they all seemed too panicked to be concerned with them. More explosions followed the first one.

"The place is gonna blow! Let's go!" YD shouted. "Ruby, think you can run over there?"

"I can try."

"Nightshade." Dragon turned to face her. "I'm gonna cover you both, look after her on her way over-"

"She's already there." Nightshade pointed out. Ruby stood right on the cylinder just as she was told.

"What?" The bright hero swiveled back around. "Damn... that was fast. Alright, then let's go!"

**XxXxX**

_Damn idiot! He's gonna blow the place up over one girl?!_  Emerald thought as the chaos ensued. One guard kept persistently urging her to evacuate, but she brushed him off. Call her hypocritical, but she too had a score to settle with the girl in black. She shoved all the other guards in her way. She followed after Nightshade, eyes laser focused.

When there was finally enough of a clearing, she pulled her knife out of her holster. She readied it, preparing to throw it at the girl.

Prepared to kill the girl who had ruined her face.

All she had to do was wait for the right moment. And...

Now!

She threw the knife and knew that it would be a direct hit.

Well it would have been. If not for-

"Nightshade, look out!"

And then the three disappeared.


	14. New Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A hero's life isn't always the happiest one. We like to pretend it is. They receive the love and adoration. They have extraordinary talents and extraordinary jobs. They always get the girl. But some of these heroes don't. Some are criticized for their actions. Some work at grocery stores. And some have their girl ripped away because of selfless acts...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Due to some unforeseen circumstances, I had to put this chapter up a day early. 
> 
> I know this sounds weird... But I think if I can make at least one person cry... I've done my job.
> 
> Enjoy the Bee

"Ruby!" Weiss cried out, pulling the girl into a tight embrace. Tears streamed down her face and she made no effort to stop them.

"Weiss! I missed you so much! I'm sorry!" Ruby blubbered into her girlfriend's shoulder.

"You dunce! There's nothing to be sorry for. I'm just so happy you are back." She told her, gripping the back of Ruby's head. Weiss looked over to Nightshade. "Thank you. Thank you so much!"

"Of course." Nightshade replied. The sight warmed her heart. She was surprised that it ended up turning out so well. They got Ruby back to her loved ones. Raging Bull would not be able to hurt her for a very long time, if ever. Why was she so worried in the first place? "It was a team effort. Right Yellow Dra-... Dragon?"

Dragon was turned away from them slightly hunched over. Slowly, she turned around to face them. Blake almost wished she hadn't. A knife was stuck in her right side, right beside her abs.

"Ouch. Heh, guess I got hit. It's ok. I'll be fine. I've... dealt... with..." Yellow Dragon trailed off as she fell forward. Nightshade caught her partner in time and eased her to the ground.

"Weiss! Get something to prop her up on!" Nightshade commanded. She looked around the gym for something to use. Her eyes set sight on a torn punching bag. "That! Bring that over here!" She pointed to it.

"O-okay."

"I'm... I'm f-fiine." Dragon stuttered.

"What's wrong? She couldn't have lost t-too much blood or something already, right?" Ruby asked kneeling beside Yellow Dragon's left side.

"I... I don't know..." Nightshade responded.

"Here!" Weiss said as she finished pushing over the punching bag. "I have no idea how Yang goes through these so fast."

"S-sorry." YD lowly told her. Nightshade propped Dragon up against the bag.

"Don't worry about a thing, we're gonna help you, right?" Weiss turned to Nightshade at the end.

"Of course, first thing we need to do is get this knife out." Nightshade tugged on the weapon, eliciting a grunt from Yellow Dragon. She didn't understand why she would have this sort of reaction. Yes a knife to the gut would hurt and yes it should probably be attended to, but she was a hero. Her healing would kick in and would close the wound up within the hour. It was just how it worked. This was different. Yellow Dragon seemed so much weaker than she should have been from a simple wound like this.

But the moment Nightshade removed the knife she knew what the problem was. She smelled it on the knife. She smelled it in the wound. The pungent odor. It... It couldn't be. It had to be something else. Anything else.

But she knew that her nose wasn't wrong.

"So, what's the verdict, doc? You look kind of pale there." Yellow Dragon asked, trying to bring levity to the somewhat serious situation. What she didn't know was how grim it actually was.

"The blade has been poisoned." She stated simply.

"Poisoned?" Ruby exclaimed fearfully. She had taken the initiative of taking a towel from one of the exercise machines and put pressure on Dragon's wound.

"Yikes... guess they... really had it out for us." Yellow Dragon chuckled. "But I should be able to burn it off, right?" Yellow Dragon tried to focus her aura to heal, but cried out in pain from the strain. Her breathing quickened in panic and she attempted to heal herself once again, only to have the same result. Nightshade gripped her shoulders to stop her from attempting it a third time.

"Stop! That will only make it worse!"

"Nightshade, what are you saying?"

Blake looked over to Yellow Dragon. Dragon looked like she was searching for some sort of hope in Nightshade's amber eyes. But there was none.

"It's... It's the same poison that... killed Elemento..."

"What?" Ruby shouted.

"You must be mistaken." Weiss told her.

"I'm not." Nightshade told them. "I... I don't know what else to do."

"I'm... I'm dying?"

"... Yes..."

"No... No I can't be... " She pleaded, her lips quivering into a tiny smile. Tears started to spill from her eyes and Nightshade felt some threaten to fall from hers as well. "It's... it's just a little wound. It... It..."

"That's... all it takes." Nightshade told her, trying to remain calm. But she found that task to be incredibly difficult.

"I can't be though, I don't feel too-" She started to say, but was cut off by a coughing fit. She coughed into her glove, and when she removed her shaky hand, she found blood. Then something shifted in her crimson eyes, she no longer doubted what Nightshade told her. But there was something else.

There was fear.

Nightshade wanted to look away. She didn't want to see her like this. Yellow Dragon was always so brave, so strong. She always had a smile on her face, a stupid pun on her tongue, and a wink in her eye that she always used at the right moment. But now here she was, so scared. She didn't want to see this. But she kept looking, because she needed her.

"H-how long?"

"Two to Three hours..."

The room then devolved into Ruby and Weiss throwing out different suggestions to save the hero's life and Nightshade shooting them down. They thought that she was just being cynical, but that wasn't it. There was just no way she knew to save her. She wanted to. Oh she desperately wished she could save her. From the moment that she recognized the poison, she was mentally trying to find a solution. She came up empty. Yellow Dragon had a sibling waiting for her, a family. She had someone she loved. Blake didn't want her to be taken from them.

But Blake didn't know what else to do. She felt like crying. She was being bombarded with questions and pleas. Like she was the one to go to in this situation. What she wanted to tell them was that she was just as scared as they were, if not more. She had grown to know Yellow Dragon. She was losing... a friend. Someone she cared deeply for. And she was helpless.

She thought about the kiss they shared, the one Yellow Dragon shared with Blake. She thought about her goofy smile, her awful jokes, her laugh. Oh Oum, her ridiculous laugh. That unabashed laughter that got Blake to join in with her. She thought about the way that she had held her when she told her about her past. How she had accepted her wishes. Blake might have even... Fallen for the hero. She denied it before, what with her feelings for Yang, but she felt the same for the hero before Blake.

The hero that was dying.

Suddenly, all the bickering was broken off by laughter. The three girls looked to the source. Midst all of this gloom and despair, the bright hero was laughing. Everyone stopped talking.

"Heh... It's... ok..."

"What?" Nightshade asked her.

"It's alright, we got Ruby home, right?" YD asked. "Then I'm fine."

"Yellow Dragon." Ruby said.

"I'm sorry. I lied, Nightshade." Yellow Dragon told her. "I told you... that I was looking for Ruby... because I was a hero... But it was actually personal..."

"Personal?" Ruby asked. Yellow Dragon turned her attention to Ruby and feebly grabbed her hand.

"Yeah, it was my job."

"But I thought you said-"

"Not my job as a hero, Ruby." Said Yellow Dragon. She let go of her hand and used both hands to reach to the back of her own head, wincing at the discomfort it caused. Then, a click resonated throughout the room and her goggles fell down off of her face, breaking the illusion. "But my job... as your big sister."

"Y-yang!?" Ruby exclaimed.

"Suuurpriiiise." She waggled her hands but then erupted in more bloody coughs.

Nightshade was frozen as a statue. Yellow Dragon was Yang. Yang was Yellow Dragon. It all made sense now. How she kept talking about Yellow Dragon and how cool she was. She was testing out the waters to see what she thought of her. She now understood why Dragon was so angry and frustrated about not being able to find Ruby. The fact that Yellow Dragon was the one who took responsibility of looking after Yang. The reason Yang had been out late. Why she was sleepy at work. Just like Blake, she was leading a double life.

And the girl she loved. Blake was the girl she loved. Yang loved her. The kiss. She kissed Yang. Yang kissed her. And she broke her heart! Over and over again. Yang had told her directly to not give up on her, and Blake still did. That's why she was so protective. Why she said she could handle herself.

Yang was Yellow Dragon. And Yang was... Yang was...

Yang was dying.

Blake stood up and ran her fingers through her hair. This was too much. No. This couldn't be happening. Not again.

"Oh Oum, no. Yang! It's gonna be ok, we'll get you help. We'll find a way. You'll be fine." Ruby told her, sobbing all the while and frantically fussing over her. Yang smiled and shook her head.

"No I won't, Ruby. But it will be ok. Cause you are strong! You are."

"No... no no no Yang, please!"

"I'm sorry, Ruby. But you have Weiss now. You won't be alone. Alright? And Nightshade'll be there too, I'm sure."

"Yang..." Ruby sobbed.

"Weiss, you gotta take care of my baby sister, ok?"

"You can take care of her yourself!" Weiss snapped, but looking at her face revealed that she was just as emotional as the rest of them. "You aren't going anywhere."

"Weiss." Yang stated, looking up and down at herself. As if to say  _'_ Come on, look at me.'

It was a good thing that Nightshade was facing away from them, because she could not stop the tears from flowing any longer. She was losing both Yellow Dragon and Yang all in one go. She couldn't do this. Not again. She couldn't. She needed to leave. She needed to let them be. She needed-

"Ruby, I need you to do something for me... I need you... to talk... to Blake."

Nightshade turned back to look at the bloody mess that was currently Yang Xiao Long.

"I-I didn't... Get to tell her... I w-was... gonna tell her... before I left... You need... To tell her who I was... Tell her what I did... Lie to her and tell her that I wasn't afraid..." Yang laughed. She focused on her voice, trying to steady it for what she was about to say next. "Tell Blake that she... Is wonderful and deserving of love. Tell her, that I know that life is hard... That it can be a struggle getting close to people... After you've been hurt one too many times... But tell her that she can't give up on love... That she will find someone... Not as awesome as me, of course. But that's an unfairly high bar."

Blake laughed through her tears, but everyone was far too busy listening to Yang and what she had to say to pay her any mind.

"Tell... Blake... that, if I had the time, I would have waited for her... That my one regret... Was not getting to help her more." Yang said, coughing more blood. "Tell... Blake... that... I loved her... Oum, I loved her so much." Yang brought her bloody, gloved hand over her eyes and tried to hide her tears, but the quiver in her lip gave her emotions away.

No.

No, this could not be the end. She refused. How many times had Yang told her not to give up. Not to give up on happiness. Not to give up on her goals. Not to give up on love. Well Blake was tired of losing everything. There had to be a way. Something she wasn't thinking of. She was Nightshade after all. The hero of the night. The shadow of justice.

She would not let the woman she loved die.

But what could she do. There was no known cure. No antibiotic or anything. She had run every possibility through her head and came up with nothing. It was fast and deadly. They would need a miracle. Like something out of a fairy tale book... Or maybe... a creature from one. Wait... If you combined Nightshade's crow and Yellow Dragon's flames, you would get...

"I've got it!" Nightshade exclaimed. She knelt down at Yang's side once again. "I know how to save you."

"You... what? I thought you said-"

"Yes, but I may know a way. If you would let me try it."

"Yes, please do it!" Weiss pitched in.

"Please save my sister!" Ruby cried out.

"Yang, we need to share aura." Nightshade told her. The girl had been so eager to do it when she first learned about it. Now that it would save her life, she had to say yes-

"No." She responded coldly.

"Yang? What do you mean? This could save your life." Ruby cried.

"No, you could die. You said it... yourself. People... have died... trying to save... their dying partners. I won't... let you... go down with me." Yang told her. She now needed to take a labored breath every two or three words. It was getting worse already.

"But the difference is that I know what I'm doing! I'm not trying to fill you with aura, hoping it will heal you. I just need some of-" Blake tried explaining.

"No." Yang asserted.

"But it won't be that bad, I just-"

"No!" The Blonde shouted. She then went into another coughing fit. "I appreciate it... Nightshade... But I can't... let you... do that. You still... have that girl, remember? You can't... give up... on her."

She couldn't hold it in any longer. Nightshade put a hand over her mouth and burst into sobs. She stood up and turned away from them.

"Nightshade?" Ruby asked.

"I never thought I could ever love anyone ever again. In any shape or form. I thought that I would live out the rest of my life alone, wallowing in my past. That was my fate. And I had accepted it. But then... I met this girl. She was happy and kind and... always wanted to be around me."

Nightshade wiped the tears from her eyes.

"S-she always made me feel welcome and... wanted. We started to hang out and I felt like life could be good again. She made me feel warm." Nightshade said, taking on a soft smile. It soon deflated though. "But then I pushed her away. I didn't think I deserved happiness. I didn't think I deserved her. Yet, through it all, she kept coming back. She never EVER gave up on me before."

"See? This... is why... you can't just-" Yang said.

"I'm not finished." Nightshade cut her off. "The thing is. She is though. Giving up on me. Right after she told me to not give up on love too..."

"What are you-"

"I mean, I fell for the girl twice. Twice! That has to be a sign that this is meant to be. I was just too blind, too stupid to accept it."

"Nightsha-"

"She told me not to give up on love. So I won't! I'm not giving up on you. So dammit Yang!" Nightshade scooped the mask off of her face and slammed it on the ground, spinning around to face her. "Don't you dare give up on me now!"

Yang's lilac eyes slowly widened as far as they would allow, filling with tears again. A shaking hand came up to her mouth and her pupils darted about the unmasked hero. She looked like she was thinking a mile a minute, realization after realization hitting her just as it hit Blake previously.

"Blake." Yang said in a soft whisper, barely audible. Blake crumpled down beside Yang. She clenched her fists and shook.

"Please! Please, Yang." Blake finally looked up. Amber locked with lilac. Beautiful lilac eyes that she wanted to see more of. "Let me do this. I... I can't l-lose you too. I can't lose two people w-who I've grown c-close to in one night."

She shut her eyes tight and brought one of Yang's hands up to her lips in a silent plea. She prepared herself for another no. She did not want to hear it, but if it was her decision, she would respect it. After all, she had done the same for her, time and time again.

"Alright." She said. "B-but... if it is... Too much... For you... You need... To promise me... You'll stop."

"Yes. I will." Blake told her, squeezing her hand tightly.

"How... does it... work?" Yang asked.

"I need you to sit up more. You need to be conscious through this."

Yang nodded and tried to shift her body up more, but cried out from the pain the movement caused.

"Ruby! Help me move her." Nightshade ordered and Ruby complied with a nervous nod of her head. Once they had gotten Yang into a more upright position, she gave her a sheepish smile. It tugged Blake's heart so and she couldn't help herself from putting a hand on her partner's cheek and holding it there for a couple seconds.

"You're doing great, Yang." She told her through her tears. Yang leaned her head into her touch and Blake felt her heart leap.

"What's... next?" She asked, looking at her through half lidded eyes.

"Take my hand." Blake instructed, holding up her left hand. Yang tried lifting her right hand, but couldn't get it to stop shaking. She made it half way up before letting it drop to the ground once again. Blake scooped Yang's hand up with her free hand and fit it in with her left. Their hands knit together perfectly, but this isn't how Blake imagined she would find that out.

"S-sorry."

"It's fine." She told her, putting on a warm smile. She brushed the hair out of Yang's eyes and touched her cheek for the second time. She wanted to touch her as much as she could. She wanted her to know how much she cared about her through her touch. She poured all of her love and affection into those little touches. Just in case it was the last time she felt her contact. "Now... I need to warn you about something. The poison in your system... it acts faster when your aura is initiated."

"So... This... Could kill... Me faster?" Yang asked, catching onto what she was trying to say.

"Yes, so we need to work fast. I just need some of your aura. Not much, but the exchange must be equivalent."

"Will... It infect... You?"

"No, it won't. I promise." Blake told her. "I also might need to... do things to keep you awake... In case you start passing out."

"That's fine."

"I might have to-"

"It's fine... Do... What... You need to."

"Alright, ready? I-I need you to focus your aura to the p-palm of your hand." Blake attempted to explain calmly, a few stutters showing how she was really feeling.

A deep purple glow began to glow around Blake's hand and passed into Yang's. It took longer and clear strain on the blonde's part, but a weak yellow glow flowed into Blake's hand after some time.

It was hot. Very hot. Blake initially wanted to disconnect, afraid she would get badly burnt from the contact. She did not though, she pushed through it and kept supplying Yang with all the aura she had intended on taking from her.

"B-Blake! Are.. you..."

"I'm fine, keep going." She told her through gritted teeth.

"You... promised.. me... tha-"

"I know, but I'm... fine." Blake winced.

Soon, however, Yang's aura stopped feeling hot and started to feel warm. A pleasant warm. Much like her smiles. It was that warmth you got from a hug. The warmth you got from drinking a nice cup of tea. The warmth you got from being in love.

But it started to get colder.

She felt Yang's flow start to ebb away and saw that the bright hero was, in fact, drifting off. Without thinking, she took her right hand and slammed it into the girl's wound and squeezed. Yang woke up at that and screamed out in agony.

"AAAAAAHH!" Cried Yang, jerking forward and whimpering after the initial pain began to subside.

"I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry." Blake said, scooting closer and kissing Yang's forehead. Yang kept her eyes closed in concentration, whining lowly from the strain the process had on her. She buried her head into Blake's side. The flow continued again, but very slow. Scary slow. Blake had stopped sending her aura her way, now she was just waiting on Yang. She just needed a little bit more and it would be balanced. But just as she had almost reached what she needed, the girl's flow slowed to barely a crawl. Blake's shaking right hand gripped her wound once again.

No reaction.

"Yang? Yang, wake up!" The unmasked Nightshade shouted. "Yang!"

Nothing.

Blake shook the girl beside her, hoping for a reaction.

She was able to breathe again when she saw Yang's brow crease, her eyes shot open revealing a crimson red. With one last grunt, Blake got the last of the aura she needed.

"That's it, Yang. It's done." Blake explained, letting go of her hand. It fell limply to the floor.

Blake wasted no time. She paid no mind to the other two in the room, asking her questions. She only focused on the new aura in her body. She focused on that warmth. Tried to channel it. In normal circumstances, she would have practiced before hand to see how it worked, but there was no time for a test run. She had to do it here and now. So, without knowing how the power worked, she just imagined being on fire. Imagined the flames engulfing her and her wings. Turning her into something more. Turning her into something that could save Yang.

She leaped into the air, transformed into a crow and then let the flames flow free. She caught on fire quickly and found herself growing in size. Feeding off of the flames. She grew bigger and bigger, as did the flames. Until she finally unfurled her giant wings and burst brilliant sparks of embers that flew about.

A phoenix.

It's said that the tears from a phoenix can cure anything. Well, she had enough tears to spare, she just hoped the mythology was right.

She swooped down from above and perched on the ground, right beside Yang's fatal wound. She took the bloodied rag Ruby had put over the wound in her beak and threw it to the side. Bending over, she allowed her tears to fall down. She was not stingy with them either. She willed herself to cry as much as she could.

Then, she felt herself getting hotter. Too hot. She felt like she was about to explode. As quickly as she could, she shifted back into her human form. She crumpled into a ball, the whole experience left her sore.

"Y-yang? Yang are you alright?" Ruby called out in a quiet voice. Blake looked up at her partner. She wasn't moving.

"Yang?" Blake asked, willing herself with all the strength in her body to sit up. "Yang, wake up!"

She was silent. Neither Yang nor Yellow Dragon was ever silent.

Blake came closer to her and grabbed her shoulders to shake her awake. Nothing. She inspected the wound. It looked as though it had began to close up, but not completely.

It was no longer bleeding.

"Come on, Dragon, this isn't funny." She said, using her hero name to try and get a rise out of her. She was still. She had given her enough aura, their exchange was equal. Was she too late? No, it couldn't be. She simply couldn't be...

Her eyes scanned upward. She searched for the rise and fall in Yang's chest.

It was gone.

Blake grabbed her right hand. The same one that she had held when they shared aura. The same one that held her hand in the base. The same one that held her when she was crying on the roof. The same one that held her face as they kissed.

It was cold and limp.

"... Yang?" Blake whimpered in a final effort to get a response out of her.

But the blonde said nothing. She was pale and cold, still as the water on a frigid winter night.


	15. Journey's End

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Change is hard.

A Week Later

Nightshade took a deep breath as she prepared herself. She was clad in her normal black hero attire. But this time was different.

This was... this was going to be hard.

She paced back and forth, preparing herself for this event. It had been a week and she thought that she would be ready. She wasn't. She didn't like things like this. She especially didn't like them when she was personally involved with it. But she made a promise.

She promised Ruby that she would be here. It was the least she could do.

Said girl approached her.

"Hey, Nightshade. Are you ok?" She questioned with worry.

"Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine."

"You know... you... don't have to do this. If it's... too much, I understand." She said with a sad smile. It had only been a week, but the girl already looked so much better. You couldn't even tell that she had been injured at all. Guess she was a fast healer.

"No, I really should do this. I'll be ok, really."

"Aaaaww come on!" A boisterous voice boomed from behind the two girls. She slung one arm around the dark hero and flashed her one of her trademark cocky grins. "It's just a bunch of hero nerds. What's the worst that could happen?"

"'Hero enthusiasts', thank you very much." Ruby corrected, sticking her tongue out.

"Eh, To'meh'to to'mah'to." Yellow Dragon quipped.

**XxXxX**

Yang only saw darkness for a while. She remembered hearing Blake say something to her, but it was drowned out.

Blake. She was Nightshade. Now she cursed those perception blockers. If they weren't there, she knew she would have figured it out long ago. She now knew why she was so drawn towards both of them. She had a type, and apparently that type was 'Blake'. Yang thought back to all the conversations she had with Nightshade. The ones she had about the girl she loved. The girl she kept pushing away.

Yang was the girl she loved. The one she wanted to keep safe. And... She had fallen for Yellow Dragon as well. She truly loved her, all of her.

This... This was great! The girl she loved was also a hero, she didn't have to hide anything from her. They could fight crime together. This was awesome!

Oh wait. Surrounded in darkness. No sound. No more pain. She knew what happened. The poison took full effect.

She was dead.

Dammit, she just got the girl too. It just wasn't fair. She didn't know what Blake was doing to try and save her, but it didn't work. Oum, she hoped she would be ok. She hoped that she wouldn't beat herself up over it. She was the reason she had a glimmer of hope in the first place.

It was strange though, she had expected her life to flash before her eyes, not that she needed a reminder. A lot of struggling in the beginning, then some badassery, and then gay.

Lots and lots of gay.

Yet, all that surrounded her was darkness. Until she heard some water drops. From above her in the darkness, she saw large drops of liquid fall into her domain. She could taste them. Salty. Tears?

More rained down and the darkness started to break up. Sparks flew about, starting up slowly. Then she started to see memories flash before her. But they weren't her memories.

She was looking from the eyes of a girl much shorter then her. She was running through the woods, giggling. Suddenly, the little girl dropped in height. Looking down, her feet and hands were replaced with four black furry paws. Leaping off a knocked down tree branch, she started to soar through the air. The little girl landed by a little creek and peered into the water. Yang finally got a good look at whose memories she was watching. The girl had short ebony hair, bright amber eyes that were full of wonder and a pair of cat ears that seemed far too large for her head.

"Blake?"

The memory faded and transitioned into another. Yang felt older now. In the memory, she was reading a book at a table. The breakfast in front of her was picked apart, hardly eaten. She looked up and saw a man with a thick black beard and flowing hair sipping coffee at the table. A woman walked over, reading a news paper.

"Another robbery. Someone aught to do something about that. This city doesn't feel as safe as it used to." She shook her head and look directly at the girl in her memory. "Blake, eat! You're still growing, you need a healthy breakfast to become big and strong."

"Yeah, just like her dad." The man next to her nudged.

The memory faded again. She found herself leaping from roof top to roof top. Someone following behind her.

"So, the famous Nightshade." He said, finally catching up to her. "Why did you run?"

"I-I'm sorry. I'm just used to... working alone."

"Well that's rather lonely." The masked man in red said. "Wanna work with me for a bit? I think we would make a great team."

The girl looked down at her feet, but then looked up and extended her hand forward.

"Sounds like... That would be fun." She told him. He smiled. It was the first time Yang had seen a smile on the man that wasn't malicious.

"I'm Raging Bull."

Another fade out. The scene was chaotic. She was in a bank. People were cowering in corners. A fight had just taken place.

"Stop this! This isn't right! We are the heroes, we use our powers to help the people!" She shouted, huffing from exertion.

"Well maybe the villains have the right idea. They don't feel the need to bow down to these... humans."

"We are humans, Bull."

"We're better and you know it. I just wish I could make you see." He walked away.

The memory transitioned into the next one. This one was the most vivid of all of them. She was on her knees in the kitchen. The same kitchen that she had breakfast in. Only this time, Raging Bull was there. He had a sword up against her mother's throat.

"Please. Please! I've done all you've asked. Just let her go. Please let her go!" She shouted.

"You didn't do everything, Blake. You should have joined me. You should have listened to what I had to say. Well now it's too late. Far too late. Just like how you were too late to save your father. And how you are too late to save your mother."

With that, he swiftly drew the sword across her neck and dropped her to the floor.

"NO!" She cried out. Rushing to her mother, she grabbed a rag and tried to stop the bleeding, sobbing and apologizing all the while.

Yang clenched her eyes shut, not wanting to see anymore of the bloody scene.

**XxXxX**

When she opened her eyes again, she was greeted by a different sight. To her right was Weiss and Ruby. The girl in red was sobbing uncontrollably and Weiss was holding her. She seemed like she was trying to hold strong, but she was crying as well. What were they crying about? Was this another memory. No, it couldn't be, she had control this time.

And this time she could feel pain. Lots of pain. She felt sore all over, but especially on her chest. There was a lot of pressure there. Her eyes panned over to find out why. That's when she became acutely aware of the other sound in the room. Blake was crying over her chest, clutching her sides as tight as she could. And though having her there in that moment was a painful experience, she had never seen anything more beautiful in her life. She was pretty sure her heart stopped again. She wanted the girl to stop crying though. She wanted to make her smile again. So she raised her left hand and started to slowly pet through her long ebony tresses. Blake was unaware of the contact for a couple seconds, but her brow twitched in confusion, as did her cat ears (Oum she would never get over how adorable they were). She looked to Yang's left first, trying to see where the contact was coming from. But then followed it up to her head, to her face. Where they made direct eye-contact.

Blake flung herself off of her and put her hands to her mouth. Her eyes widened and a fresh set of tears welled up in her eyes, not quite believing what she was seeing. She had to say something to let her know that she was ok. She had to let them know. But she also wanted it to be cool. Something like 'I'm back bitches'. No, too much. Maybe, 'Hey baby. Miss me?'... No that wouldn't work. But after having Blake move off of her so fast, she felt even more pain than before. So, inspired by that, she simply groaned and said:

"Uuuuugh, I feel like I was run over by an eighteen wheeler that was transporting bricks... and it dumped it's cargo off on me."

_Real smooth, Xiao Long._  She thought.

No one cared, though. Ruby threw herself on top of Yang and hugged her with all of her might.

"Aaah, Rubes. Can't breathe."

"I-I'm sorry." She scrambled off of her sister as soon as she could. "I'm just... I'm so happy you're alive."

"They can't kill me that easily. I keep coming back... Like... Something that keeps coming back."

"Nice line, one of your bests." Weiss teased from behind Ruby.

"Hey, I was dead, shut up." Yang pouted.

"Yeah, well you would still be dead if it wasn't for Nightsha- um... Blake." Weiss told her. Blake ducked her head slightly, looking... bashful?

"What happened?" Yang inquired.

"Oh! It was SO cool!" Ruby told her, getting to her feet. "First she turned into a crow. So she's flying around and all. And then she burst into fire and became a PHOENIX!" Ruby demonstrated the action by flapping her arms up and down and then bringing them up above her head. She then winced and gripped her ribs, forgetting about her own injuries.

"Careful, Ruby!" Weiss chided.

"Anyways, so she flew down, took away the rag and cried into your wound. We... we didn't think it worked... until now!"

"Oh that explains that weird dream." Yang said.

"Weird dream?" Blake asked, the first thing she had said since Yang had woken up.

"Yeah, I was surrounded by darkness, but... then tears filled the space. And there were these... memories? But they weren't mine."

"Who's memories were they?" Ruby inquired.

"I think that they were Blake's? I don't understand how though."

"Oh right, that." Blake hummed

"What?"

"Sometimes, when you share aura, you get some of the other person's memories. Fragments, really. What... did you see?"

"Uuuh, I'll.. I'll tell you later. But... that's what... stopped the darkness."

"Stopped the darkness?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah, after the tears... everything sparked back."

"I... I guess the tears couldn't reach your aura, so... it found mine and... brought you back?" The unmasked Nightshade tried to explain.

"So what you're saying is that you saved my life?"

"I guess I did."

"Thank you." Yang said softly. Blake was looking down at the ground, trying to find some way to respond. But Yang wouldn't let her. She lifted herself up, pulled Blake down and stole a kiss. And luckily for Yang, it didn't take Blake much time at all to get out of her shock from the sudden kiss. She deepened the kiss as soon as she got her bearings, cupping the side of Yang's face. Yang did the best she could from her weakened state, but mostly just enjoyed the feeling of having Blake's lips against her own. Lemongrass and Mint. She was so happy to taste it again. She was all of a sudden very self-conscious of how she tasted, seeing that she had been spitting up blood. But Blake didn't seem to mind, so she ignored that nagging voice until it all but disappeared. She pulled back and looked deeply into her amber eyes.

"I fell for you twice too." She smiled the smile that was solely reserved for Blake. They moved to kiss again but before they could...

"Ahem." Came a voice from the left.

"Weiss! You're ruining the best part!" Ruby yelled.

"Well I'm sorry. Don't you think it's a bit awkward having them make out with each other right in front of us?" Weiss defended.

"No! Come on! Everybody's been waiting for this moment! It's just like a comic book." Ruby gushed.

"You are crazy."

"Maybe, but you are crazy for meee." She sang.

"I suppose I am." Weiss pulled her in for a kiss.

"Seriously! You just yelled at us! I'm starting to feel like there's a double standard here, Ice Queen." Yang yelled.

"And I'm starting to think you might not need such a comfortable bed."

"I... Rescind my comment." Yang relented.

"I thought as much."

The four girls all started laughing. It ended when they heard a pounding on the door.

"Miss Schnee! Are you alright? We heard screaming!" A voice shouted through the door. The man jostled the handle, but found it locked.

"Shit!" Yang swore.

"That's a dollar for the swear jar, Yang." Ruby whispered, giggling.

"Ruby, if they walk in here, what do you think they'll find?" Yang asked. Ruby looked about the room and Yang could see her taking in all the problems with the scene at the moment. There was a bloody rag on the floor, along with a bloody punching bag, a knife, two unmasked super heroes (one of which had a very bloody side) and a girl who had been missing for about a week.

"Shit." Ruby also swore.

"Alright, I've got this. Ruby, you need to get in that closet. And yes, normally I would make a joke about you already being outside of one, but NOW IS NOT THE TIME... Well, I guess I just did. Go Yang." She high-fived herself and received three simultaneous groans. Ruby then followed her instructions.

"Blake, we gotta get these clothes off... I mean, get into civilian form." Yang slipped.

"Again, right here." Weiss complained as the heroes hit their respective charms to de-transform, their masks on the ground disappearing.

"Weiss. Take out your phone and act like you were filming."

"What?"

"Just do it, trust me."

"Okaay." Weiss did as she was told, despite the skepticism in her voice.

The blonde then shoved the knife and bloodied rag underneath the punching bag.

"All that's left is... is... Aha!" Yang rushed over to the mini fridge she kept in the corner, but regretted it. She had to stop midway. She was still injured and sore after all. Blake rushed up beside her and put Yang's arms around her shoulder to take off some of the weight.

"Yang, what do you need?"

"The ketchup."

Blake left her side for a moment to grab the bottle and brought it back to her. Yang opened the bottle and dumped some on her side, where her wound was located.

"Gimme your hands and roll with it."

Blake held out her hands and Yang let out a squirt of the red condiment in her hands. She motioned her for her to rub her hands together. Taking a deep breath, Yang opened the door the man had been standing outside of.

"Oh! Hello Jeremy! How are you?"

"Miss Xiao Long." The man stated. "I heard screaming, is everything alright?"

"Oh my goodness, was I really being that loud? I'm sorry. See, Weiss and Blake here were helping me practice."

The large man furrowed his bushy eyebrows.

"Practicing for what?"

"Well, I'm auditioning for a play, and the scene we have to perform is a dramatic death scene. Weiss was filming me, so I could see what I was doing right and wrong and Blake was the other character in the scene. So I really wanted to get into it. Hence the ketchup wound." She scooped some up with a finger and put it in her mouth. "Mmmm, want some?"

"No thank you. Are you sure you are all alright, you seem like you've been crying. Especially you." He pointed at Blake.

"She's a REALLY good actress. Far better then me."

"We're fine, really, Jeremy." Weiss told him.

"Alright, let me know if anything is wrong, ok?" He said reluctantly.

"Will do!" Yang told him, rushing him out of the door. When he was gone, she leaned against the door and let out a huge sigh. Ruby came out of her hiding spot, looking very impressed.

"Quick thinking, sis." Ruby complimented.

"Yeah, when you are a hero, you need to think on your feet like that." Yang exhaled.

"It's a good thing that there are no cameras in this room." Blake commented.

"Wait a second. Yang, you were the one who asked if the cameras in this room could be taken down." Weiss said.

"Yeees?"

"Is this why? Did you make this your secret lair?"

"What? Super heroes do NOT have secret lairs... They have secret home bases."

"Is this your home base?"

"... Sort of? I needed some place, Weiss!"

"Unbelievable,"

**XxXxX**

Yang and Blake sat on the couch of Schnee manor, awaiting the return of Ruby and Weiss. It had certainly been a crazy night. Morning, actually. The sun had started to poke out of the horizon when they were bringing Ruby to the police station.

When the two heroes had told Weiss that they needed to take Ruby to the police station first, she threw a fit. She asked why they had to do that when she was safe and sound at home. Blake told her that it was more of a precaution and a way for Yang to keep her secret identity. Weiss said 'screw that' (which was a very odd phrase to hear come from the heiress) and gripped Ruby tighter. They were lucky that Ruby understood and explained it to Weiss. She also added in the fact that she probably needed medical attention. That was what really pushed Weiss over.

So she gave her a kiss and told her that she would see her very soon. Weiss just had to wait around for the phone call from the police station.

Yang got ready to carry Ruby there, but Blake refused. She could barely run over to a mini fridge, what made her think she could carry her adult sister to the station? So instead, Blake wound up giving both of them a ride on her back as a panther. Nightshade never had passengers before. It was... different.

Before they went into the station, Yang pulled Blake aside. She told her that now was her chance to get out of the hero game if she wanted to. She could wait out here for them and no one (besides a handful of people) would know Nightshade was ever back. It touched Blake that she wanted to uphold her old wishes.

She, however, had changed. And she missed this. She missed being a hero, saving the day, getting the girl... actually she didn't get much of that part before, but she sure as hell was gonna enjoy it this time around. So she responded with a snarky 'Trying to take all the credit, huh?'... Which Yang didn't understand right away. The blonde backtracked and attempted to explain what she really meant. She silenced the rambling girl with another kiss and told her it was fine. That she was fine with it. That it was about time for Nightshade to come back home.

To say that the officers in the station at that time of day were surprised when they walked in was in understatement. First thing they noticed was Ruby, the police had been searching for the missing girl for a while and hadn't found a thing. Now she was on their doorstep. They all surrounded her, covering her with a blanket and asking her all sorts of questions. Some officers thanked Yellow Dragon, but she told them that she didn't do it alone. She stepped to the side and revealed Nightshade. The officers that surrounded YD switched over and bombarded her with questions. She didn't answer many, a little overwhelmed. When someone asked if she was back for good, however, she answered with a strong 'Yes'.

They left soon after Weiss showed up. Weiss made some excuse about Yang being too sick to come into the station and Ruby played along, acting very concerned for her 'sick' sister. This was after their 'reunion' kiss, of course.

So after the trek back to the Schnee manor, Blake and Yang were exhausted. Storming a base, facing and taking down old foes, dying and coming back, identities revealed. So much had happened. They had so much they had to talk about.

Yet they just sat on the couch in silence. Unsure of where to even start. Blake had initially asked if the security cameras had sound. Yang told her they did not. They were free to speak as they pleased. Yet still, they held back. Until, of course,Yang decided to break the silence.

"Damn perception blockers." She said. "I swear I would have known it was you."

"I know, I probably would have figured it out rather quickly too."

"But... I mean... I did get to see this sassy side of you."

"I've had my sassy moments as Blake."

"Yeah, but they were short lived, and you always seemed so... sad afterwards." Yang told her. "Which I totally understand why. I just wanted to make you happy. But..."

"I kept pushing you away." Blake sighed. "I was scared. And if I'm being honest, I'm still scared. I have no idea what the future has in store. I have no idea if Adam will come back, or if Miss Direction will tell others who I am. I have no idea what to do. And... And I just told the police that Nightshade was back. How am I gonna face the public after I ran! How am I supposed to do any of this. I haven't done this in years. Finding Ruby was one thing, but protecting a whole city again?"

"Woah here. You're going a mile a minute. Calm down and breathe, Blake." Yang insisted inching closer to the amber-eyed girl.

"How am I supposed to do this?"

"Well, you won't be doing it alone. There are plenty of heroes in the SHA." Yang told her. "Aaaand, yours truly. I might still be a 'rookie' in your eyes, but I'm not exactly useless."

"Could use some proper training, though."

"Meoooowch, don't think I'm good enough still?"

"That's not what I said. All I'm saying is that you could use a... mentor. Someone who knows the ropes and could teach you things about being a hero that you might not know."

"And who would that be?" Yang asked, poking fun.

"Hmmmm, let me see." She teased back. "There's the Spartan... hmm, no. She's probably far too busy. Skybreaker?... No, she is too much like you. Though her partner, Lotus Storm. Probably has the patience to deal with you and knows his stuff... hmmm."

"Blaaaaaaaaaaake." Yang whined.

"Fine, I guess I can free up some time to teach you." Blake smirked.

"Aw, yes!" Yang said pumping her right fist. Unfortunately, her elbow rammed right into her still healing wound. "Oouuuch." She moaned.

"Still hurts?"

"Yeah, a lot. Why didn't the tears heal everything again? I thought it was the cure all or something."

"It couldn't reach your aura in time. So it searched for another source. Mine. You have a decent amount of my aura in you, but not enough to heal you fully like your own would. Mine acted like a tether. When my aura got sparked, so did yours as a chain reaction."

"So you held me to this world?"

"You were strong enough to come back though. Don't sell yourself short."

"No, it was you. You are the reason I am still here."

"Probably the reason that you almost died in the first place."

"Blake." Yang said, placing two hands on her shoulders. "I'm here because of you. Because you didn't give up. Because you wouldn't let me go."

"I... I will never let you go, ever again." Blake whispered, her vision became blurry with tears. Yang pulled her into an embrace and Blake just melted into it. She tried not to hold her too tight, but couldn't help but squeeze tighter when she found that Yang did not seem to be in any discomfort from the contact. Her long golden locks were right by Blake's face. She took the scent in. At first, all she smelled was ash, like she had just been camping. But underneath that, she smelled something much sweeter. She smelled of lavender and chamomile. The scent was so soothing, so sweet.

So Yang.

**XxXxX**

"Hello?" Yang responded over her phone.

" _Yang, It's Weiss."_

"Hey Weiss, what's taking so long?"

A sigh came through the other end.

" _They are bringing her to the hospital to run some tests and make sure they didn't... do anything to her in there."_

"Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense. Are you coming home then, or waiting at the hospital for Ruby."

" _What do you think?"_

"Got it. Call me when you are coming home, alright?"

" _Wait, Yang. Before you go, you should turn on the news."_

"Alright?" Yang said, picking up the remote and turning on the television. "Channel seventeen?"

" _Yes- What? Oh, yes of course..."_ Weiss said to someone else. She then turned her attention back to Yang.  _"Sorry, they need me. I'll call you as soon as she has been released."_

"Alright, later Weiss." Yang said. She started flipping through channels to get to seventeen.

"Everything alright?" Blake asked.

"Yeah, they're just bringing Ruby to a hospital to make sure she is ok. So she won't be back for a while."

Blake 'hmm'-ed at that. The TV, caught both of their attention.

" _-Explosion occurred late last night. It revealed a base that is believed to be linked to Ember Arrow. Sifting through the wreckage, search and rescue discovered a pod like apparatus that held Vale City's hero-turned-villain, Raging Bull. They have carefully loaded the pod into a secure holding cell. The location has not been disclosed at this time._

_As for casualties, there haven't been as many as they anticipated. Three armed guards were crushed by the falling rubble, but no others have been found. One girl, however, was seen wandering just outside of the blast zone."_

The screen popped up and image of a young girl with green hair, red eyes and an oddly familiar scar.

"You don't think..." Yang began to ask.

" _Due to head trauma, she has no recollection of who she was. If you know this woman, please contact the Vale police departme-"_

Blake turned the TV off and rose from her seated position.

"Let's worry about that tomorrow. Come on, It's about time we got that wound cleaned out."

Yang groaned, but followed her all the same. They made their way up the stairs to the bathroom next to Yang's bedroom. Making it there faster then the blonde, Blake got the first aid kit out and sifted through it, finding the right things she needed. She took out the gauze, the hydrogen peroxide, and the wrap. Yang walked in, saw the bottle and comedically walked right back out of the room.

"Yang, you big baby, get back here!" The dark-haired girl commanded. Whining, Yang turned around and took a seat on the edge of the sink.

"I hate that stuff. That's why it's nice being a hero. We just heal so fast, we don't need to clean it out."

"Well, obviously that's not always gonna be the case. Now quiet while I work on you." Blake closed the door and then grabbed the bottle of hydrogen peroxide.

"Alright, cat's got my tongue. Got it." She said with a big grin. Blake dead-panned.

"More cat jokes?"

"Hey, 'meow'! You know you love them. Admit it! Say it!"

"Uuugh."

"'Panther' the question, Blake. I'm 'nyall' ears here."

"Just shut up and take your shirt off!" Blake yelled, seeming to grow frustrated with the girl's antics. Oh, but Yang wasn't done yet.

"Oh, frisky kitty." Yang said seductively, throwing in a wink for extra measure. As soon as Blake realized what she had just said to Yang, her face turned Ruby's favorite shade of red.

"Wait! No, t-that's not what I... I just needed... Gaah!" She stuttered, ultimately placing the bottle back down on the counter and burying her face into her hands. Yang laughed out loud. Hard and long.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't resist."

"I haaaaaaate yooooou." Came a muffled voice.

"No you dooon't." Yang said in a sing-song voice. Blake slowly looked up at Yang. The blonde was expecting a glare or a scowl, but received a soft smile instead.

"I don't." She sighed. "But I really d-do... um... need you to take your shirt off. Or at least lift it up."

"A-alright." Yang said, opting for the second option. For some reason, she was feeling very bashful around the dark hero.

Blake got right back to work. She opened up the bottle and put a small amount on one of the gauze. Lightly and tenderly, she started her work in cleaning out the still open wound. Yang winced every time the cloth made contact with her injury.

"Doing alright?" Blake asked, stopping midway through her cleaning.

"Yeah, just stings... a lot."

"Mind if I try something? I think it's been long enough that it might work."

"Um... Sure?"

"Close your eyes." Blake instructed. Yang did so. "Now I want you to take some deep breaths and calm yourself. Your heart, your body, your aura. When you feel calm enough, nod your head."

Yang began to breathe deeper. In, hold, out, hold. This seemed familiar. She recalled telling this to Blake a couple days ago in fact.

She started to feel much calmer and she nodded her head. Almost as soon as she did that, she felt Blake's palm move on top of her injury. She prepared herself to feel more pain, but she didn't. In fact, it was almost as if her hand was healing it. She opened her eyes to see Blake smiling at her confusion.

"Another nice part about sharing aura. Two things are happening right now. One, the aura I shared with you is reacting to my aura. And two, the aura you shared is reacting to your aura. Basically, contact feels much better, so long as the two people are in similar mental states. The wound will still be there after I take my hand away, as will the pain, but it is a nice temporary feeling."

Blake kept her hand on her wound for a little while longer before moving it to finish up what she had started. Yang wished that she didn't have to.

"So... This aura thing... Anything else I should know?" Yang asked. Blake stopped her work for a second and sighed.

"I... Want to apologize. It's... A serious matter, sharing aura. I know it was to save your life, but I wish you had more of a choice in the matter." Blake cast her gaze downward. Yang wouldn't have that. She lifted Blake's chin with her hand.

"Hey, there is no one I would rather do this with. Besides, you said the people had to be in complete sync or it wouldn't work, right? It shows that this was bound to happen some time or another."

"R-right." Blake said, a blush coating her cheeks. She began to focus on her work again. Man, she never knew that she could be so bashful. Yang was so gonna use that later.

"So, come on. What are my perks?"

"Well, you probably gain my shifting ability."

"Wait, can I ACTUALLY turn into a REAL yellow dragon?" Yang exclaimed, shifting on the counter top. The sudden movement caused Blake's hand to slip and the gauze pressed roughly against the injury. "Ah, son of a bitch!"

"Sorry! You have to stay still though." Blake told her, continuing her cleaning. "And... perhaps. But large creatures are hard enough to shift into, let alone mythological ones. You need to work up to that. Start small. Liiike... a lion, maybe?"

"Oh! That's still pretty cool. Why a lion though?"

"It has to fit in with your personality and power."

"So... I am like the lion girl. You know, from your book."

"I suppose so." Blake responded, too preoccupied with her work.

"And you are the cat girl."

"Mhm."

"Soooo... Does that mean that you're my girlfriend?"

"I- Wait what?"

"Ah ha! I knew you weren't paying attention."

"Well excuse me for trying to make sure you don't die of infection."

"Fair, fair... But... Are you?"

"Am I what?"

"M-my girlfriend. I mean, d-do you want to be? Sorry, I just wasn't sure and I wanted to check."

"Yang."

"The last thing I want to do is make you feel uncomfortable, I sometimes feel like I excel at that."

"Yang?"

"Cause you have been through a lot and I don't want you feeling pressured into anything you don-"

Yang was silenced by Blake's lips on hers. It wasn't very long at all, but enough to serve Blake's purpose of silencing the blonde. Just like she had done back at the police station.

If this is what happens when Yang rambles, then she would ramble as much as she could.

"Yang?"

"Y-yeah?"

"I would love to be your girlfriend."

"Cool. Awesome. I... Heheh." The flustered blonde giggled. "My girlfriend. You are my girlfriend."

Said girlfriend smiled at Yang's glee and finished off cleaning her up. She then took the other unsoiled gauze, placed them over top of the wound and wrapped the bandages all around Yang's abdomen and lower back to secure it in place.

"And, we're done. Better?"

"Yeah, I think so. Thanks." Yang said as she hopped off of the counter. Her movements were a bit too swift though. Her legs buckled a bit as she winced in pain. Luckily her... her girlfriend was right there to catch her.

With her arm wrapped around Blake's shoulder, they made their way over to Yang's bedroom. The dark-haired girl plopped her girlfriend on her bed. She fell on her back and sprawled out across her fluffy bed.

"Ouuum I am soooo exhausted." Yang exhaled.

"Me too." Blake agreed, still standing beside the bed. "You really should get some rest."

"So should you."

"I know. I just wanted to make sure you would be ok before I left."

Yang popped her head up off of the bed.

"What do you mean you're leaving?"

"I was gonna go back to my apartment."

"Uuuuugh, but that is so far away."

"Well what do you suppose I do?"

"You... um." Yang started, nervous to ask her request. "You could just stay here."

"I... um."

"I mean, that is if you wanted to. It doesn't even have to be in my bed, there are plenty of comfortable guest rooms too." Yang told her. "Though my bed is heavenly."

"Would... that be ok?"

"Yeah! Yeah, Weiss won't mind. I can show you to one of the gues-"

"Um." Blake cut her off, a blush dusting her cheeks. She was wringing her hands. "Would it be ok... If I slept with you? You know, just to make sure you're ok... And... It will make sleeping more comfortable for you, the contact and all."

Yang's face must have been as red as a hot piece of coal.

"Yang? Are you ok? The room is getting a little hotter."

"Uuuhuh, yeah. And yes, you can s-sleep with m-me." She stumbled over her words.

Yang shifted in her bed to allow Blake to climb on as well. When she was under the covers with Yang, she curled up against her, just like a little kitten. Yang wanted to make a comment about that, but was afraid that she would shift her position if she did. So she held her tongue and cautiously put an arm around Blake, snuggling in closer. Blake moved a hand to her injury and Yang felt immediate relief.

"Blake? What... I saw some of your memories. Did you see any of mine?"

"Not yet." Blake responded.

"Oh, alright."

"Everything ok?"

"Yeah, it's just... There's a lot of unpleasant ones. Don't wanna scare you off, now do I?" Yang chuckled, making light of it. Blake responded by pulling her in closer.

"I'm sorry."

"Shh, You have nothing to be sorry for. Besides, it was a long time ago and I am stronger for it." Yang told her. She pressed a kiss in between her cat ears, softly petting them. They were just as soft as they looked. Velvety and warm.

"Which memories did you see?" Blake inquired.

"Um, one where you were little. One with breakfast. Meeting... meeting Adam. The bank. That night..."

"Oh." Blake curled closer to Yang at the mention of the last one. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"I didn't see the whole thing. I'm sorry that you had to go through that." Yang placed another kiss on her head. "He'll never hurt you again. I promise you."

"Yang?" Blake said softly.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad you didn't give up on me."

"Me too."

**XxXxX**

"Well that certainly took forever." Weiss complained as she and Ruby stepped into the manor. It was about noon and the two had just gotten back from the hospital. They ran all sorts of tests on Ruby to make sure she hadn't been drugged. All the tests were negative, thank goodness. She was simply weak from her captivity (though she did get some exercise in there, according to Ruby herself). She had some swelling, small gashes, a couple bruised ribs, but nothing too serious.

But it took so long. Don't get her wrong, Weiss was happy that they were being thorough, but she really just wanted to bring Ruby home.

"But we are home now!" Ruby exclaimed, bumping into her girlfriend.

"Yes, we are." Weiss said, smiling. "Now, what would you like to do. Did you want some lunch? I can see if I can whip something up for you."

"A home cooked meal? Tempting. But, I did just eat at the hospital. So rain check?"

"Alright, then what do you suggest we do. Anything you want. I will give you anything you want."

"Hmmm." Ruby thought for a moment, putting a finger to her chin. "I waaaaant..."

Weiss leaned forward in anticipation of what her girlfriend was going to say. She wanted to show the girl how much she missed her. She wanted to shower her in all that she desired. She meant it. Anything she wanted. So when Ruby said:

"You to sleep."

Weiss was puzzled.

"Sleep?"

"Weiss, you are exhausted. I know you didn't get any sleep last night and I know that you didn't sleep in the hospital either. Take a break."

"But you just got home. I... I can't just..."

"Weiss, please. This is what I want. More than anything in the world." Ruby grabbed the ivory-haired girl's hands and moved closer to her. "I want you to take care of yourself. I'll even stay in the room with you."

"You aren't tired?"

"My... sleeping pattern got messed up in there. I don't think I could sleep if I tried." She chuckled nervously, trying to make light of it. "But I can be your pillow. I've heard that I am pretty comfortable."

"Best pillow ever." Weiss acquiesced, leaning in to give Ruby a quick peck on the lips. "Alright, let's go up."

As they went up the stairs, Ruby stopped midway.

"Is something wrong?" Weiss asked.

"Where are Yang and Blake?"

Weiss blinked. That was a good question. Where was the big oaf. Blake must have gone home after everything was said and done, but Yang should be around.

Oh wait, Weiss was supposed to call Yang. It completely slipped her mind, she was too concerned about Ruby.

"Sleeping, perhaps. She must be exhausted after today's ordeal."

"Mind if we check though? I'm... still a little worried about her."

"Yes, of course."

They made it up the rest of the stairs and softly padded their way over to Yang's bedroom, in case she was sleeping. When they softly creaked the door open, Ruby 'awwed' at the sight. I guess she stuck around after all. Yang and Blake were snuggled up against each other, fast asleep. They slowly closed the door and made their way to Weiss' bedroom.

"I STILL can't believe that my own sister is Yellow Dragon. I mean, how cool is that? And Blake? She's Nightshade? I was like 'whaaaaaat?'" Ruby whispered to Weiss when they got in her room.

"Yes, it certainly is an interesting turn of events... It also explains why Yang has gone through so many punching bags..."

"Ooooh, maybe they can teach me hero stuff! That would be awwwesoooome!" Ruby exclaimed. Weiss wanted to immediately shoot down that idea. The girl gets kidnapped and still wants to be a hero. Weiss just wanted to keep her safe. But that was for another day. She was too tired to argue. So she just climbed into bed with out any sort of chiding. "Or maybe she can come to the HFO next week. It is the Nightshade meeting after all."

"Are you going to gush over your idols more or are you going to join me?"

Ruby was pulled out of her fantasies and gave her girlfriend a sheepish smile.

"Sorry, Weiss."

Ruby joined Weiss in bed and the two held each other close.

_This is what feels right._ Weiss thought.  _This is what I missed._

**XxXxX**

The green-haired girl with the scar stumbled away. What was her name again? Everything was such a blur. The police had shown up wherever she was and asked a bunch of questions. Even if she did know the answers to them, she wouldn't tell them jack. For some reason, she felt like she had a problem with authority. So she ran from them after they took some pictures of her.

She leaned up against a building wall, catching her breath. She slid down and gave her legs a break. Out of habit, she patted the side of her pants. Panic surged as she noticed that something was missing. Looking down, she noticed an empty sheath. Somehow, that made her heart ache, like she was missing a piece of her. A flash of a long haired beauty swept across her mind. And a name.

"Cinder." She said. Was that the green-haired girl's name? She didn't think so. She felt like it was someone important to her.

Putting a hand to her head, the girl winced when it accidentally brushed up against her cheek. The claw marks. They were still relatively fresh, that much she was sure. She looked about to find some reflective surface to check how bad it was. When she finally found a piece of broken glass, another flash crossed her mind. An image of a woman in black with a mask and cat ears viciously attacking her.

"Nightshade." She seethed, somehow remembering her name and the hatred she had for the hero. "She's going to pay for whatever she did to me. I swear it."

**XxXxX**

"And with us today, to kick off our discussion on Nightshade is our very own Ruby Rose!" Jaune exclaimed, letting Ruby come up and take the podium. Jaune was so relieved to have Ruby back. He really felt bad about what had happened. He felt so responsible. But Ruby assured him time and time again that it wasn't his fault. So he tried to push that feeling of guilt away.

He was eager to hear Ruby's story. She said she was saved by not only Yellow Dragon, but Nightshade as well. She said that the hero was back to stay. She started to recount the events of last week, drawing it out as much as she could. She wanted to give every detail. You could see the love she had for these heroes. Maybe he should promote her from flier duty...

"Caw!" A crow in the rafters of the building made it's presence known. Jaune looked up and saw the thing looking down at the meeting. It wasn't uncommon to find a bird or two trapped in the building. It was an old church that had high rafters, perfect for creating nests. But he had never seen a crow in the building before. It struck him as a bit... odd.

"Yeah right! Why would she come back for you?" One of the members shouted at Ruby as soon as she had finished her story.

"Uuuh, I'm not really sure why? But she was there, I swear."

"And Yellow Dragon too? Why would they pair up? Sounds like a bad fanfiction, if you ask me." The man retorted. Jaune never particularly liked this guy anyway, always playing devil's advocate and pissing everyone off. But he couldn't exactly kick him out, he had a voice just like everyone else and he deserved to be heard. Even if he sounded like a horse's ass.

"They did!"

"Oh yeah? Prove it."

"Woah woah, don't get your panties in a bunch, big guy." Called a voice from the back row. The guy whipped around, ready to clobber someone.

"Who said that? I swear I'll-" He started but stopped mid sentence. His face paled and he lowered his fists immediately. Everyone turned to see...

No way.

"All talk, huh? I figured as much." Yellow Dragon rose from her seat in the back, folding her arms across her chest.

"I... Miss Dragon I'm sorry, I-"

"Cardin, right?"

"Y-you know my name?"

"I do. And I also heard that you like to cause trouble here?"

"No!... Well I mean."

"Yes or no, Cardin."

"No, ma'am."

"Then why don't you believe my friend over here?"

"Well... It's just that Nightshade is gone..."

"Caw!" The crow sounded again. This time everyone looked up. It swooped down by the podium and shifted into a new form. It took the shape of a beautiful young woman, clad in shades of black. She had long raven hair, a black mask, and ribbons that ran up her arms. She finally looked up at the crowd and revealed her piercing golden eyes.

Nightshade.

Holy shit.

Nightshade was here.

At the Hero Fan Organization.

Jaune thought he was gonna faint.

"And you say that I'm dramatic." Yellow Dragon shouted, making her way up to the dark hero.

"I learned from the best."

The two then shared a look and turned to the crowd once more.

"Hello, I'm sure you probably know who I am. And everything that Ruby said was true. I'm sorry to derail this meeting a bit, but I figured that rather than theorizing and discussing what happened to me, why not ask me yourself. There are some questions I will not answer, however. Those questions that might reveal my identity."

The crowd went absolutely wild. Everyone jumped out of their seats and raised their hands madly. Nightshade laughed nervously and pointed at the first person she saw.

"Are you back for good?"

"Yes, I am." She answered simply. She then searched the crowd and picked another member out.

"Are you and Yellow Dragon partners now?"

"Well, actually-" Yellow Dragon started, a little disappointed.

"Yes. We are." Nightshade interrupted and Yellow Dragon stared at her in shock. Nightshade must have felt her gaze, because she looked over to her and started to backpedal. "I mean, that is... If you still wanted to be."

"Uh, yes. Yes I... Nothing would make me happier." She said with a giant grin. She nudged her in the side and winked. "Partner."

And then they looked at each other fondly. Smiles plastered on their faces (which was a little strange for nightshade). They must have grown pretty close over this case.

"Alright, next question." Nightshade said, snapped back to the task at hand, less nervous than before. And then Jaune noticed something that no one else did. Everyone was so preoccupied with asking Nightshade questions that they didn't even notice that, behind the podium, the two heroes were holding hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Blue here! Thank you for sticking around long enough to make it this far! I hope you have enjoyed this journey (though it was a painful one). But this chapter was twenty pages long! Twenty pages of fluff to make up for the pain I put you all through haha.  
> Thanks for all your support and thanks to my friend who was my pseudo beta reader (You know who you are). She also cried over that previous chapter, calling me a monster.  
> It's not over yet though! There is an epilogue that I will release next week aaaand I am working on the sequel (though it won't be a while). In the meantime, look out for some of my upcoming projects! I've got some cool ideas that I think you will all enjoy. Thank you so much and I'll see you next week!


	16. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seriously? After everything that happened, you still want to do this??

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Blue here. Last chapter! Whooo hooo! We made it guys. This one is just a very short little epilogue that I have a feeling most of you will enjoy. I just wanted to say thanks for all your support! You guys have been great! Soooo, I made a little somethin somethin for y'all. I drew up designs of Yellow Dragon and Nightshade! Check out the link to see 'em:
> 
> https://dorky-fish-doodles(dot)tumblr(dot)com/post/172346378455/yellow-dragon-and-nightshade-from-my-superhero-au  
> (replace the "dots" with actual dots)
> 
> Anyways, I hope you like this last chapter! Enjoy the Bees!

"You can't be serious. Weiss, please tell me she's kidding." The masked Yang asked the ivory-haired girl. She simply shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm serious! I still want to be a hero!" Ruby exclaimed, bouncing up and down excitedly. Just a couple minutes ago, the pair had come down to see the two heroes train in the gym. This had been some-what of a common occurrence, Ruby excitedly dragging along Weiss to 'see them in action', as she put it. Well this time had been different. When they proceeded down to the gym, Ruby had been running ahead of Weiss, the heiress following behind and telling her to wait. Ruby interrupted their training completely, asking if they could train her to be a hero too. "And I mean, my sister is THE Yellow Dragon and your girl friend is THE Nightshade. You two are my super hero idols! I have to train with you."

"Who said you were training at all?" Yang asked.

"Weiss said that I should ask." Ruby pointed out the heiress, who now found one of the exercise machines much more interesting than making eye-contact with the blonde. Traitor.

"Ruby, you were literally just kidnapped a couple weeks ago. Do you seriously still want to be a hero after that?" Yang asked, not fully believing what she was hearing.

"Yes! If anything, that makes me want to be one more. I... I don't want to be helpless anymore. I want to be strong, like you two! A-and... I want to be able to protect the people I care about. I want to save people who can't save themselves. Just like us when we were younger, remember, Yang?"

Oof, low blow. She's not pulling any punches. There was nothing but pure determination in those silver eyes. Yang looked over to Nightshade who just sighed and awaited Yang's response. She clearly wasn't helping her with this decision at all. The blonde then looked to Weiss. She rolled her eyes and gave her a look that said 'just humor her'. Yang released a breath in defeat.

"Alright, we'll give you some tests to see if you are hero material."

"Aww yeah! I'm so ready. I'm gonna pass those tests and you are all gonna be like 'Whaaaaat? How did she do that?' And then I'm gonna have a cape and-"

"Woah, there little sis, don't get ahead of yourself. You don't even have a power. We are going to test and see if you can still be a hero with out one. If you pass, we'll help train you. If you don't, end of the line. No super heroics for you. You sure you're willing to take that risk?"

Ruby seemed a bit taken back by Yellow Dragon's words. She didn't want to sugar coat it for her. It was tough work and she needed to be ready for that, especially if she goes in without any power. She almost expected Ruby to waver, which wouldn't be the worst thing-

"Ok, I'll do it. I'm ready!" Ruby told her, reaffirming the determination in her voice.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you." Yang sing-songed. "We won't be holding back."

**XxXxX**

Welp... this was unexpected. Ruby was... Ruby was actually doing really well. With the help of Nightshade, Yang came up with some tests for her. A test for reflexes, a test of strength, a test of wit, of bravery, of compassion. All things a hero would need. An those were just the first ones. They came up with so many more, each hero remembering another important aspect about being a hero.

And Ruby was passing with flying colors. At first, Yang was proud of her little sister, she knew that she had said she wanted to be a hero for a long time, but this just went to show that it wasn't all talk. She was putting work into this. She couldn't help but smile every time the girl had succeeded in the task they gave her. She was really all grown up, wasn't she.

But then Yang realized that Ruby passing wasn't the point of these tests. As much as she wanted to encourage Ruby to dream, her big sister complex kicked in. Hero work was dangerous. Hell, Yang almost died a couple weeks ago. She needed to nip this in the bud.

"Hey, Nightshade. Can you come over here?" Yang asked.

Nightshade followed Yang to the other side of the gym, where they were out of earshot of Ruby.

"We need to put some sort of stop to this." Yang whispered.

"I agree. Ruby is doing well, but without powers..."

"Exactly. We need to do one last test that she won't be able to pass. A double or nothing test."

"Hmmm, we really haven't been using our powers against her, have we?"

"No."

"So what if we did. If she wants to be a hero, she will face villains with powers. She needs to be ready for that." Nightshade said. She then explained her plan to Yang.

"You are a genius and I love you." Yang exclaimed, pulling her into a hug and pecking her cheek.

**XxXxX**

Everything was all set up. They had dragged one of the beat up punching bags and sat it upright. Yang took the liberty of taking a marker and drawing a very silly looking face of a woman on it. The eyes were looking in two different directions and the top and bottom lips didn't even match up.

"What's going on?" Ruby asked curiously.

"This is your final test, Ruby." Nightshade explained, stretching out her muscles. "This is your citizen. You must protect them. Keep them from getting harmed. Your citizen has been taken by some super villains." She explained, gesturing to Yang and herself.

"You need to save the citizen before Nightshade can pounce on her."

"O-ok, I can do that." Ruby said, her voice wavering a bit.

"This is the deciding factor though. If you can't handle us, you can't handle super villains. Understood?"

"Yeah, I understand."

"Alright. Nightshade, you ready?" Yang asked behind her. She received a growl as a response, the hero had already shifted. "And... Go!"

Ruby tried to make a beeline to the citizen, but Yang pushed her to the ground.

"Wha- Hey, I'm trying to-"

"I'm not your sister right now. I'm a villain."

Ruby pouted, but got back up and tried again. She tried to go around Yang, but she stopped her every time. Pushing her back with just enough force to keep her at bay. Not injure her. The silver-eyed girl seemed to grow desperate. She assumed from the look on her face that Nightshade was readying her attack. She ducked and weaved, trying to break through the hero's defense. Yang wouldn't let that happen though.

_Sorry Ruby, this is for your own good._  She thought.

"You have to get past me." Yang told her with another shove. "If you can't do that, you can't be a hero."

After saying that, something in Ruby snapped. She scrambled to her feet once again and tried to break through, much faster than before. Yang was actually impressed at her effort.

"Come on! Get past me!" Yang shouted. And then, Ruby was gone. All she saw was a flash of red and she had disappeared. "What?"

Yang heard the skidding of claws against the floor, an indicator that Blake had pounced. She expected to see Nightshade on top of the punching bag. However, she saw Nightshade staring at Ruby, who clutched the 'citizen' in her arms. Her shoulders slumped as she let the bag fall to the ground. She whipped around, anger evident on her face.

"Aw come on, Yang! Take me seriously!" Ruby pouted.

"What are you- How did you- What?" Yang babbled, trying to make sense of what just happened. One moment she was blocking Ruby and the next she had gotten past her. How?

"You said you wouldn't hold back! And then you all decided to go in slow motion to give me a chance?" Ruby exclaimed. "So not cool."

"What do you mean 'slow motion'?"

"You slowed down!" She shouted.

"We didn't slow down, Ruby." Nightshade explained. "You sped up."

"What?" The red-head asked. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that again?"

"You sped up. I guess super hero genes run in the family."

"Wait... waitwaitwaitwait. Are you saying that I have... Super speed?"

Yang's jaw dropped. This was an unexpected turn of events. Weiss looked even more surprised than she did, unable to even move.

"Let's test it out." Nightshade suggested. She backed up, transformed again and ran full speed at Ruby, prepared to pounce once again.

"Aaah!" Ruby shouted. Then in a blur of red, she was out of the line of Blake's attack. Blake skidded to a halt, shifted back and smiled. Ruby, however, started bouncing up and down in excitement. "I... I... I HAVE SUPER SPEED! I'M GONNA BE A HERO! FINALLY! I KNEW IT WOULD HAPPEN SOME DAY! YES!" Ruby shouted. She used her new power to run about the gym, cheering all the while.

This... was not the plan. But she did have powers. Who was she to deny her this when she literally had the skills to back it up.

And then Ruby slammed into one of the exercise machines.

"Oof!" She said, falling on her back. She then gave a thumbs up. "I'm ok!"

This was gonna be a lot of work.


End file.
